Former 49ers first-round draft pick, wide receiver A.J. Jenkins, is back in rookie mini camp -- three years after he was picked with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft by San Francisco.
Jenkins only lasted one year in San Francisco where he played in three games and didn't register a single catch. Now, he is looking to latch on with the New York Jets as a tryout player during rookie mini camp.
“As fast as it starts, it could be over. Obviously, in my position I’m trying to fight for another job. Being a first-round pick you kind of think you’re already certified and things are given, but it’s not that way. You don’t want to know the hard way. You don’t want to know my way," Jenkins said in a New York Post interview in regards to his advice for rookies.
[RELATED: 49ers Mailbag: What does the future hold for Smith, Boone?]
Jenkins has been seen as a bust so far in the NFL where he has only caught 17 passes for 223 yards -- all with the Kansas City Chiefs who the 49ers traded him to for Jon Baldwin in Aug. of 2013 -- and is yet to catch a touchdown. Last season he played in all 16 games and caught eight passes for 130 yards.
Despite the 6-foot, 200 pound receiver catching 90 passes for 1,276 yards and eight touchdowns in his senior year at the University of Illinois, Jenkins was a surprise to go in the first round of the draft. But his 4.31 40-yard dash speed enticed 49ers general manager Trent Baalke.
"He was the best player on the board at the time," Baalke said after drafting Jenkins in 2012.
On his tryout with the Jets, Jenkins says he "put his ego and pride to the side," knowing that if he doesn't make the cut this time, there may not be any more chances.
