So, do you think that the San Francisco 49ers took A.J. Jenkins too early by taking him at No. 30 in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft? You're not alone. On top of that, you're also not alone in being totally unrealistic. We've already told you why you should cool your jets - namely because Jenkins was projected to be an early second-round pick and the 49ers were just two picks away from said second round. But there could be another reason.
St. Louis Today reports that the St. Louis Rams were very high on Jenkins, and would have taken him at the start of the second round, suggesting that his potential availability was one of the reasons that they were fine with moving back in the draft and missing out on guys like Justin Blackmon, Michael Floyd and Kendall Wright.
League sources told the Post-Dispatch on Thursday afternoon that the Rams liked Jenkins so much that his grade wasn't much different than the one given Blackmon by the team's personnel department.
Many consider Blackmon to be one of the best and most polished wide receiver prospects in recent years, so that's very telling. The 49ers knew they were going to draft Jenkins, with general manager Trent Baalke going so far as to put his name in an envelope on Wednesday night.
There was talk of the 49ers considering a trade down with the Minnesota Vikings, but that didn't happen, and it's likely because they got word that the Rams would be hot on Jenkins given the opportunity. St. Louis holds the No. 33 pick in the draft - the first pick of the second round. The report from STL Today notes that the Rams visited with Jenkins on multiple occasions, having quarterbacks Kellen Clemens and Tom Brandstater throw passes to him in a private workout.
San Francisco has shown time and time again that they'll go out and get their guy. It paid off in Aldon Smith in 2012, and don't forget, there were rumors that the Rams also were interested in Aldon back when the 49ers selected him "too early."
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