San Francisco 49ers’ A.J. Jenkins wants to compete against seniors besides learning from them
San Francisco 49ers’ new wide receiver, A.J. Jenkins, who was selected in the first round of the 2012 National Football League (NFL) season, has said that he will try to compete against senior members of the team to get more playing time on the field, but
at the same time expressed his desire of learning from the veterans.
Jenkins, 22, is expected to make his NFL debut next season. At the present stage, he cannot join the team for its workout as he has to give final examination at the University of Illinois.
According to the NFL rules, a draft pick cannot join the team unless he clears his final exams.
Soon after getting free from his educational commitments, Jenkins will join other members of the team’s offensive unit, which include Randy Moss, who is making is return to the NFL, Mario Manningham, who has joined the team after deserting New York Giants,
Michael Crabtree and others.
Jenkins is aware of the fact that the presence of such players might overshadow his performance, but the draft pick is up for challenging the veterans for the playing time.
While giving a radio interview to Jim Rome, Jenkins said:
“I am going there to compete. But at the same time … I’m going to try to learn from all of those guys to make my game better.”
He also appreciated the coaching abilities of 49ers’ head coach, Jim Harbaugh, who led the team to winning the National Football Conference (NFC) West title in his first year with the team.
Jenkins said that he is looking forward to playing under Harbaugh. He said:
“He’s a real intense guy. He’s real passionate and you can tell that by the way he talks and the way he carries himself. I can play for a coach like that – with passion and love for the game – because that’s the kind of guy I am.”
Harbaugh was also appreciative of the player’s talent and soon after selecting the player in first round of the draft, the head coach commented:
“He’s a bright guy. A bright football guy. Gold helmet guy. Somebody that we’re really pleased to have.”
Jenkins will be a part of the team’s training session this summer.
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