49ers Blog and Q&A: 49ers ink first-round pick Jenkins to four-year deal

49ers Blog and Q&A

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June 20, 2012

49ers ink first-round pick Jenkins to four-year deal

And then there were none.

The 49ers today announced they had signed first-round draft pick A.J. Jenkins to a four-year deal worth as much as $6.9 million. That means all seven of their draft picks are under contract more than a month before they are due to report for training camp. It's also a far cry from their most recent first-round receiver, Michael Crabtree, who didn't sign his deal until five weeks into his rookie season.

Jenkins and the rest of the 49ers rookies wrapped up a minicamp today. Neither head coach Jim Harbaugh (in Peru building houses) nor general manager Trent Baalke were on hand for the three-day session. Assistant coaches and Baalke's top lieutenant, Tom Gamble, were in charge.

Jenkins struggled at times over the last month and half, and Harbaugh noted that he and other rookies weren't in great shape during an early rookie minicamp in May. Jenkins' conditioning, however, improved over time and he had his best practice -- at least of the sessions observed by the media -- on the final day of a full-squad minicamp last week.

Jenkins (6-0, 192) played in 46 games (26 starts) for the Fighting Illini and ranks third in school history with 167 career receptions for 2,432 yards and 19 touchdowns. The three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree also added 33 kickoff returns for 773 yards and one touchdown.

In 2011, Jenkins played in 13 games (12 starts) and tallied 90 catches for 1,276 yards and eight touchdowns. He is just the second player in school history to register 90 receptions in a season, and his 1,276 receiving yards were the second-highest single-season total in school history. The First-Team All-Big Ten and honorable-mention All-America honoree led the Conference with an average of 6.92 receptions per game.

Jenkins, a 22-year old native of Jacksonville, FL, attended Terry Parker High School. As a senior, he registered 41 receptions for 515 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 40 carries for 251 yards.

-- Matt Barrows

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