Freshmen Faces: Kris Jenkins Jr.
Coming out of Olney (Md.) Our Lady Good Counsel, Kris Jenkins Jr. was considered a three-star prospect, the No. 511 overall player nationally and the No. 21 strongside defensive end in the country according to the 247 Sports Composite. As a senior at one of the better high schools in Maryland, Jenkins contributed 40 tackles, including 19 for loss, 15 sacks, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for a touchdown as a senior. His father, Kris, grew up in Michigan as a graduate of Belleville High School, but played at Maryland. He played 10 years in the NFL and was a second-round draft pick. He ended up being a four-time All-Pro defensive tackle.
Recruitment
Jenkins committed to Michigan on July 3, 2019, giving U-M a versatile and athletic defensive lineman who could end up playing several positions along the D-line. The big man racked up more than 20 offers over his high school career with Michigan being arguably his biggest tender. He had opportunities from schools like Boston College, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, North Carolina, Northwestern, Penn State, and Virginia Tech among others.
Player Breakdown/Player Comparison
I like Jenkins' game quite a bit. On his highlight tape, he shows a good burst, solid change of direction agility and a lot of strength.
At 6-4, 239 pounds, he's got pretty good size already, but isn't locked into any one position because of that size or his build. He's got good length, but is also stocky and muscled enough to potentially play on the inside someday depending on how he develops. If he remains close to his current weight — maybe 255 pounds or less — he's likely going to play defensive end. If he really eats good and goes north of 260, he could slide inside and be a quick, athletic interior defensive lineman.
When I watch Jenkins play, I see Indianapolis Colts defensive end Justin Houston. Houston was a more highly touted recruit, but build wise the two were almost identical as high schoolers. As a senior, Houston was listed at 6-3, 228 pounds, and was pretty bulked up for a high school player. Jenkins was listed at 6-3, 235 pounds and has that same, muscular build.
Like Houston, Jenkins has a pretty good burst but isn't one of these athletic freak shows we see at defensive end these days. Neither are overly long nor do they have a super big body and frame. Yet somehow, they manage to get a push or get around whoever is in front of them with regularity. Whether it be with a bull rush, strong, efficient hands or a speed rush around the edge, both Houston and Jenkins have a knack for getting into the backfield and near the quarterback.
2020 Outlook
Jenkins might end up playing on the interior of the defensive line but right now, he's an end. Michigan is set with its starting defensive ends Kwity Paye and Aidan Hutchinson but there's not much depth behind them. Still, I don't think Jenkins is quite ready to push for playing time.
There are a lot of different types of players vying for backup roles and most of them are pretty young as well. Luiji Vilain, David Ojabo, Mike Morris, Taylor Upshaw, Julius Welschof and Gabe Newburg are all there, but none of them have really played any meaningful snaps. However, they'll simply be farther along than Jenkins thus pushing him to the bottom of the depth chart.
I don't see Jenkins seeing the field in 2020 with so many other young, unproven guys on the roster at his position. If Jenkins gets in the mix and passes up some the guys listed above, that would be a positive development for him, but I just don't see a path where he sees the field in 2020. I'm not knocking Jenkins as a player in the least, this is just how it normally goes for developing defensive lineman in most cases.
