A.J. Jenkins surprised to be drafted in first round by 49ers
If you were surprised that the San Francisco 49ers drafted A.J. Jenkins in the first round of the NFL draft ... just imagine how Jenkins felt.
The Illinois receiver didn’t see it coming that soon, either.
“Honestly, I was watching with my mom, my two sisters, my brother, and my cousin,” Jenkins told reporters on a conference call, “and we were just watching the draft, just joking around laughing. I was in the bathroom and my sister came out and said, ‘Your phone is ringing.’”
Jenkins ran a go-route, straight out of the bathroom.
“I sprinted because I didn’t know if they were joking or not because during the middle of the draft my cousin had called my phone, but he was playing with me. I thought it was another joke and it’s just crazy.”
It was no joke, of course. The 49ers grabbed a player who caught 90 balls for 1,276 yards and eight touchdowns for Illinois last season.
“Trent Baalke last night put his name in an envelope and said, ‘This is who we’re going to pick,’” 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh said, referring to the team’s general manager. “We all agreed on it and it held true. That was the guy we wanted and that was the highest player on the board when the time came to pick him.”
MORE:
First-round of draft is a rush to judgment
A four-team playoff will change college football
A.J. Jenkins surprised to be drafted in first round by 49ers
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
