Raiders 2019 Draft Prospect: WR Gary Jennings

2019 Raiders Draft Prospect Profile

Name: Gary Jennings

Position: Wide Receiver

School: West Virginia University

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 213 pounds

Draft Projection: Day 3

Stats

Hands

With his frame, Jennings shows the ability to make the contested catch. At the very least, in traffic the concentration shows up. However, from time to time, Jennings needs to sharpen that focus in traffic. Yet, enough film exists of him making contested grabs that intensive coaching will fix this immediately. Not to mention, Jennings’ length in the slot gives the quarterback a bigger window versus the smaller slot corners, tasked to cover him. On vertical routes, he shows the natural timing of making the over-the-shoulder grab on the run.

Speed

Whether from the slot or outside, Jennings will get even and blow past corners. Granted, he is a bit of a gather runner. That is to say, he takes a few extra steps. Yet, I think this starts from the sailing nature of the passes. Ina an NFL offense, Jennings presents the potential to stretch the field and puts pressure on secondaries.

Route Running

Over time, Jennings became the Mountaineers’ deep threat. Early on, he operated underneath patterns. From screens to drags and slants to deep outs and flies, the WVU staff prepared Jennings for the next level by exposing him to the entire route tree.

Agility

The only test at the combine that show draw attention to Jennings is the three-cone drill. On film, he shifts well enough. Yet, his draft status will probably rise due to cone numbers. At WVU, Jennings showed the nimbleness to flow across the field and cause angle pursuit problems for defenders/

Intangibles

As mentioned, Jennings evolved from afterthought, possession wideout to big-play threat. That takes a degree of patience. At the next level, he may never be the lead receiver.

Raiders Fit

In Jon Gruden’s offense, Jennings could fill a couple of roles for the Raiders. First, he could begin in the slot, taking over the job from Seth Roberts. Then, after a year or two within the confines of the scheme, the Raiders could have a great issue with Jennings. With sustained excellent play and time in the offense, Jennings could conceivably climb the depth chart. With good speed and route tree versatility and above-average hands, the Raiders could possibly turn Day 3 selection into a viable starter.