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Cornerback | Senior | South Florida Mike Jenkins
Height: 5-101/4 | Weight: 197 | 40-Time: 4.40
Official Bio
Strengths:
Has very good size and bulk with long arms...A great athlete...Good timed speed and acceleration with a burst to close...Physical...Natural cover skills...Is versatile with experience at both corner and safety..Smooth with fluid hips and nice change of direction...Breaks on the ball quickly...Also offers some special teams potential.
Weaknesses:
Is not great in run support...Not overly instinctive...Pretty inconsistent...Has some character questions...Footwork and technique are shaky...Lacks superb ball skills and awareness...Toughness may be an issue...Might be a bit of a CB / S 'tweener.
Notes:
Was born in Germany...Combined with teammate Trae Williams to form one of the best corner duos in the nation...Also played safety early in his career...Suspended after being arrested and charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and obstructing or opposing an officer without violence in March of '07...Has a ton of starting experience and everything you look for physically in a pro corner...Very good prospect who has the talent to be a starter...Could get slightly overdrafted.
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Mike Jenkins (CB)
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 200
College: South Florida
Conference: Big East
Hometown: Bradenton, FL
High School: Southeast
Selected by: Dallas Cowboys
Round: 1
Pick (Overall): 25 (25) Pick Analysis: Looking for a cornerback, the Cowboys traded up to take Jenkins. Although he had just six interceptions in 48 games, Jenkins has good coverage skills. He's also a good tackler with great speed. You can't take Pacman Jones into consideration here and Jenkins is a value pick.
Regarded as one of the nation's premier shutdown pass defenders, Jenkins teamed with Trae Williams to give the Bulls an outstanding cornerback combination.
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
Positives: Has a well-built frame with good upper-body muscle tone, tight waist and hips and good lower-body thickness...His best asset is his press coverage skill, as he has had good success in impeding the receiver's route progression...Hard worker in the training room and on the practice field, as he is more of a quiet leader-by-example type, but spends lots of his time mentoring the younger players and is a potential coaching candidate in the future...With his press ability and speed closing on plays in front of him, he could bring more value as a free safety (has Brian Dawkins-type qualities), as he does have experience at that position from his high school days and as a freshman at USF...Times his leaps well and has that long reach to get over and around the receiver to deflect the pass when in the trail position (does get a bit reckless, leading to pass interference calls)...Has adequate balance and body control going after off-target tosses...Is a little tight in his hips, but he has that explosive second gear to recover and the leaping ability to battle the taller receivers in jump-ball situations...Good special-teams performer who shows patience letting his protection set up and the burst through the seams to take the ball long distances...Is sometimes late to turn on the ball, but he has the quick feet and exceptional burst to recover...Lock-down cornerback who can generate strong hand swipes in attempts to reroute...Even with his hip stiffness, he has good acceleration and turnover on his breaks and, when he keeps good position on his man, he does a good job taking angles to cut off the play...Gets high on his heels in his backpedal, but does not stay in it for long...Not the quickest at recognizing routes, but when he does, he shows good urgency to close (much better awareness vs. plays in front of him)...It doesn't always translate on the field, but he does have the timed speed to make plays at the opposite end of the field...When he gets into proper position, he can defend vs. the pass, as he gets very good elevation to reach and deflect the throw at its highest point...Likes to tackle to the side rather than squaring up, but he has the functional strength to impact vs. smaller opponents.
Negatives: Needs to show better anticipation skills, as he does a good job of handling the receiver but eyes the backfield too long and bites on misdirection and pump fakes...Has very good timed speed, but needs to generate looser hips, as he looks tight in that region when trying to transition...Has just adequate change-of-direction agility and does not always explode out of his turns to get on the hip and mirror the receiver...Might be a better fit for free safety, due to his good closing burst vs. plays in front of him. His adequate athletic ability makes him appear a bit slow when trying to break on the ball in flight...Lacks natural hands and good arm extension to pluck the ball at its highest point, as he had more than a few pass deflections that should be interceptions...Shows some hesitation breaking on the ball and lacks that natural feel to get a good break on the ball and anticipate routes...His best asset is his ability to press and reroute the receivers at the line, but as aggressive as he is with the pass catcher, he does not like coming up in run support, preferring that others make the tackle in tight areas...Must improve his upper-body strength, as he lacks pop on contact and is not really a solid wrap-up tackler (more of a collision-type tackler and ballcarriers can escape when he takes a side...Tends to sit back and wait for the play to come to him rather than get in an opponent's face and initiate contact...Must learn to keep his pad level down more often, as he gets too erect in his backpedal and when his base narrows, he fails to get a clean break out of transition...Has to develop a better feel for the ball in flight, as it is rare to see him jump many patterns...Has the second gear to recover when beaten, but if he would open his hips quicker, receivers won't be able to gobble up his cushion as much as they do...Has to develop better hand placement, as he has run into trouble with pass interference penalties (had a string of at least one penalty in five of six midseason games in 2007)...Has the functional strength to get the ballcarrier down, but must show more aggression and force behind his tackles... Has a bit of a hop in his footwork that needs to be corrected...Perhaps due to adequate ball recognition skills, he doesn't take good angles to close in run support and must keep his hands inside his frame or he struggles to shed blocks when asked to plug the rush lanes...Has one off-field issue, but the coaching staff vouches for his good character and work ethic...Considering his senior season was not a dominant one, he made what might be a costly decision by refusing to attend the Senior Bowl at the last moment.
Compares To: CARLOS ROGERS-Washington...Like Rogers, there is no questioning Jenkins' speed -- he can stay with any receiver on deep routes. However, like Rogers, he is not a good tackler and tends to shy away from lending run support. Jenkins has some hip stiffness that is evident in transition and marginal hands to make the interception. He will bite on pump fakes and doesn't have great ball anticipation skills. He might be a better fit at free safety, as his best assets are his quickness, making plays in front of him and generating a good press. Quite a few publications list him as the best cornerback prospect for the 2008 NFL Draft. If he is indeed the best, NFL receivers could be salivating. He is a fine athlete, but isn't ready to star at the next level.
Injury Report
2004: Suffered a high ankle sprain vs. Southern Mississippi (10/02) that would sideline him for the Army contest (10/16).
General-Has an asthmatic condition.
Jenkins appeared in 38 games (28 starts) in his first three seasons (2004-'06), recording 92 tackles (two for losses), three interceptions and 29 pass breakups. As a senior, he started all 13 games at right cornerback and had 41 tackles (four for losses), three interceptions and 12 pass breakups. He also has experience at safety and returning kicks. He averaged 30.4 yards on nine kickoff returns last season, returning one kick 100 yards for a touchdown. Jenkins suffers from an asthmatic condition, and in '04 he missed one game because of an ankle injury. In 2007, he was arrested after a fight outside a bar and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing or opposing an officer without violence. Jenkins' asthmatic condition and 2007 arrest do create some reasons for concern.
Bear's take-- Jenkins is a solid cover corner, at his best in press coverage... this is just what the Cowboys were looking for, so he makes good sense for them... I am, however, disturbed by the reports about his being weak against the run; will the ceiling on his potential be to cover slot receivers, will he need to come out of the game on likely running downs??
Cornerback | Senior | South Florida Mike Jenkins
Height: 5-101/4 | Weight: 197 | 40-Time: 4.40
Official Bio
Strengths:
Has very good size and bulk with long arms...A great athlete...Good timed speed and acceleration with a burst to close...Physical...Natural cover skills...Is versatile with experience at both corner and safety..Smooth with fluid hips and nice change of direction...Breaks on the ball quickly...Also offers some special teams potential.
Weaknesses:
Is not great in run support...Not overly instinctive...Pretty inconsistent...Has some character questions...Footwork and technique are shaky...Lacks superb ball skills and awareness...Toughness may be an issue...Might be a bit of a CB / S 'tweener.
Notes:
Was born in Germany...Combined with teammate Trae Williams to form one of the best corner duos in the nation...Also played safety early in his career...Suspended after being arrested and charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and obstructing or opposing an officer without violence in March of '07...Has a ton of starting experience and everything you look for physically in a pro corner...Very good prospect who has the talent to be a starter...Could get slightly overdrafted.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike Jenkins (CB)
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 200
College: South Florida
Conference: Big East
Hometown: Bradenton, FL
High School: Southeast
Selected by: Dallas Cowboys
Round: 1
Pick (Overall): 25 (25) Pick Analysis: Looking for a cornerback, the Cowboys traded up to take Jenkins. Although he had just six interceptions in 48 games, Jenkins has good coverage skills. He's also a good tackler with great speed. You can't take Pacman Jones into consideration here and Jenkins is a value pick.
Regarded as one of the nation's premier shutdown pass defenders, Jenkins teamed with Trae Williams to give the Bulls an outstanding cornerback combination.
Copyright NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
Positives: Has a well-built frame with good upper-body muscle tone, tight waist and hips and good lower-body thickness...His best asset is his press coverage skill, as he has had good success in impeding the receiver's route progression...Hard worker in the training room and on the practice field, as he is more of a quiet leader-by-example type, but spends lots of his time mentoring the younger players and is a potential coaching candidate in the future...With his press ability and speed closing on plays in front of him, he could bring more value as a free safety (has Brian Dawkins-type qualities), as he does have experience at that position from his high school days and as a freshman at USF...Times his leaps well and has that long reach to get over and around the receiver to deflect the pass when in the trail position (does get a bit reckless, leading to pass interference calls)...Has adequate balance and body control going after off-target tosses...Is a little tight in his hips, but he has that explosive second gear to recover and the leaping ability to battle the taller receivers in jump-ball situations...Good special-teams performer who shows patience letting his protection set up and the burst through the seams to take the ball long distances...Is sometimes late to turn on the ball, but he has the quick feet and exceptional burst to recover...Lock-down cornerback who can generate strong hand swipes in attempts to reroute...Even with his hip stiffness, he has good acceleration and turnover on his breaks and, when he keeps good position on his man, he does a good job taking angles to cut off the play...Gets high on his heels in his backpedal, but does not stay in it for long...Not the quickest at recognizing routes, but when he does, he shows good urgency to close (much better awareness vs. plays in front of him)...It doesn't always translate on the field, but he does have the timed speed to make plays at the opposite end of the field...When he gets into proper position, he can defend vs. the pass, as he gets very good elevation to reach and deflect the throw at its highest point...Likes to tackle to the side rather than squaring up, but he has the functional strength to impact vs. smaller opponents.
Negatives: Needs to show better anticipation skills, as he does a good job of handling the receiver but eyes the backfield too long and bites on misdirection and pump fakes...Has very good timed speed, but needs to generate looser hips, as he looks tight in that region when trying to transition...Has just adequate change-of-direction agility and does not always explode out of his turns to get on the hip and mirror the receiver...Might be a better fit for free safety, due to his good closing burst vs. plays in front of him. His adequate athletic ability makes him appear a bit slow when trying to break on the ball in flight...Lacks natural hands and good arm extension to pluck the ball at its highest point, as he had more than a few pass deflections that should be interceptions...Shows some hesitation breaking on the ball and lacks that natural feel to get a good break on the ball and anticipate routes...His best asset is his ability to press and reroute the receivers at the line, but as aggressive as he is with the pass catcher, he does not like coming up in run support, preferring that others make the tackle in tight areas...Must improve his upper-body strength, as he lacks pop on contact and is not really a solid wrap-up tackler (more of a collision-type tackler and ballcarriers can escape when he takes a side...Tends to sit back and wait for the play to come to him rather than get in an opponent's face and initiate contact...Must learn to keep his pad level down more often, as he gets too erect in his backpedal and when his base narrows, he fails to get a clean break out of transition...Has to develop a better feel for the ball in flight, as it is rare to see him jump many patterns...Has the second gear to recover when beaten, but if he would open his hips quicker, receivers won't be able to gobble up his cushion as much as they do...Has to develop better hand placement, as he has run into trouble with pass interference penalties (had a string of at least one penalty in five of six midseason games in 2007)...Has the functional strength to get the ballcarrier down, but must show more aggression and force behind his tackles... Has a bit of a hop in his footwork that needs to be corrected...Perhaps due to adequate ball recognition skills, he doesn't take good angles to close in run support and must keep his hands inside his frame or he struggles to shed blocks when asked to plug the rush lanes...Has one off-field issue, but the coaching staff vouches for his good character and work ethic...Considering his senior season was not a dominant one, he made what might be a costly decision by refusing to attend the Senior Bowl at the last moment.
Compares To: CARLOS ROGERS-Washington...Like Rogers, there is no questioning Jenkins' speed -- he can stay with any receiver on deep routes. However, like Rogers, he is not a good tackler and tends to shy away from lending run support. Jenkins has some hip stiffness that is evident in transition and marginal hands to make the interception. He will bite on pump fakes and doesn't have great ball anticipation skills. He might be a better fit at free safety, as his best assets are his quickness, making plays in front of him and generating a good press. Quite a few publications list him as the best cornerback prospect for the 2008 NFL Draft. If he is indeed the best, NFL receivers could be salivating. He is a fine athlete, but isn't ready to star at the next level.
Injury Report
2004: Suffered a high ankle sprain vs. Southern Mississippi (10/02) that would sideline him for the Army contest (10/16).
General-Has an asthmatic condition.
Jenkins appeared in 38 games (28 starts) in his first three seasons (2004-'06), recording 92 tackles (two for losses), three interceptions and 29 pass breakups. As a senior, he started all 13 games at right cornerback and had 41 tackles (four for losses), three interceptions and 12 pass breakups. He also has experience at safety and returning kicks. He averaged 30.4 yards on nine kickoff returns last season, returning one kick 100 yards for a touchdown. Jenkins suffers from an asthmatic condition, and in '04 he missed one game because of an ankle injury. In 2007, he was arrested after a fight outside a bar and charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing or opposing an officer without violence. Jenkins' asthmatic condition and 2007 arrest do create some reasons for concern.
Bear's take-- Jenkins is a solid cover corner, at his best in press coverage... this is just what the Cowboys were looking for, so he makes good sense for them... I am, however, disturbed by the reports about his being weak against the run; will the ceiling on his potential be to cover slot receivers, will he need to come out of the game on likely running downs??
