After reinforcing the offensive line in the first round, the Cincinnati Bengals went with Michigan defensive tackle Kris Jenkins in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Sitting still at No. 49 as a flurry of trades occurred above them in the order, Duke Tobin and the front office went with yet another Michigan product in the draft.
Jenkins, 6’3″ and 299 pounds with some impressive measurables, production and family ties to the NFL, was easily one of the top targets available at a position of need.
It sure doesn’t hurt to hear how much NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein liked him as a Round 2 prospect:
Possesses rare pedigree with a college football national title under his belt and a father who was a four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle. Jenkins has a smaller frame for his position, but he plays with good strength in one-on-one power swaps. He can neutralize single blocks but has trouble fighting back to muddy his gap against double-teams. His motor stays engaged. He’s frequently running down ball-carriers and chasing quarterbacks by the end of the play. Jenkins flashes more rush talent than his sack production would indicate, but he still needs to work on developing more go-to moves to pair with his spin counter. Jenkins isn’t a natural two-gapper, but he can play upfield or read-and-react football on the next level as an eventual starter capable of creating disruptions.
And while Jenkins gets hit with some “undersized” analysis, he happened to make Bruce Feldman‘s “Freaks List” at The Athletic last fall:
He’s up to 307 pounds and is more powerful and explosive than ever. He did 32 reps of 225 on the bench and did 760 pounds on the combo twist. Only last year’s top Freak, Mazi Smith, some 30 pounds heavier, did more slinging around 800 pounds.
What’s really appealing about this pick is that the Bengals clearly got a solid value. And while we can list something like wideout as a need, the team drafted two of those last year and still have eight more picks.
Plus, Jenkins just projects as a nice fit in a rotation with the likes of Sheldon Rankins and B.J. Hill.
