Why Jauan Jennings' Dominance in One Category Could be Key to His Draft Stock

Jauan Jennings quickly became a fan favorite in Knoxville amongst the Tennessee faithful. Jennings' infamous juggling catch down the sidelines against Florida in 2016 was followed a few weeks later by ripping Josh Dobb's Hail Mary heave out of the air in a crowd of defenders to steal a victory away from Georgia. Jennings's game evolved over the course of his career, and he turned into a physical, hard-nosed receiver who took pride in delivering punishment. According to PFF Draft, Jennings led the nation by a large margin in one area that could be key to him getting drafted.

Jennings led the country in 2019 in terms of percentage of catches where he would go on to force a missed tackle. Jennings not only led but dominated the statistical category. You can see the percentages below.

Percentage of catches that a WR forced a missed tackle:

1. Jauan Jennings - 51%
2. Ceedee Lamb - 42%
3. Ja'Marcus Bradley - 38% pic.twitter.com/BsigSZH5c7
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 3, 2020

Jennings prided his game around his physicality after the catch and imposing his will on defenders. Oddly enough, Jennings might get drafted because of this ability. In the NFL, you have to be able to run through tackles to make a name for yourself, and Jennings fits the mold as a guy who teams can plug and play to move the chains and to be in an asset in the running game.

Below is an interview I conducted with Jennings at the Reese's Senior Bowl where he talks about assuming this physical identity and his time on Rocky Top.