49ers Cut Jauan Jennings

The 49ers have released one of their five draft picks from 2020.

They cut wide receiver Jauan Jennings, according to Jennings -- he posted the news on his Instagram account.

The 49ers drafted Jennings in the seventh round this year. He’s big -- 6’3” -- but slow. He ran a 4.72 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Meaning he can play only in the slot, not out wide. He’s limited.

And the 49ers have lots of slot receivers. They have Trent Taylor, Richie James Jr. and even Jordan Reed, who technically is a tight end, but will line up in the slot frequently for the 49ers this season. All three of those players are better and more experienced than Jennings.

Jennings played mostly with the backups and against backups during training camp, and still struggled to get open and catch passes consistently. Many of the passes that went his way got intercepted. Plus he doesn’t return punts or kicks or provide any value on special teams. He’s a third-down and red-zone specialist who didn’t do anything special in either area this offseason.

So he’s expendable. The 49ers have a much bigger need for a fast outside receiver who can run the deep clear-out routes for the 49ers’ play-action passes. Jennings can’t do that for the 49ers.

If Jennings clears waivers, he can sign onto the 49ers practice squad, and eventually earn his way onto the 49ers 53-man roster. But it doesn’t seem like he will become the next Kendrick Bourne, a former undrafted free agent who made the 53-man roster as a rookie.

By cutting Jennings, it seems the 49ers may keep just six wide receivers instead of seven, which would mean they could keep five running backs instead of four, meaning they could keep running back Jeff Wilson Jr. Stay tuned -- the 49ers will submit their final cuts at 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

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