John Jenkins: 5 Things You Need to Know About the Georgia Defensive Tackle

This is one of the more intriguing stories of the 2013 NFL draft. John Jenkins, one of the most massive defensive tackle prospects in the entire draft, weighed in at a miniscule 340 pounds when he was a junior college recruit a couple years back. 

The massive defensive tackle anchored one of the most talented defensive fronts in the entire nation over the last two seasons and translates best as a 3-4 nose tackle in the NFL. 

Lets take a look at five things you simply must know about the talented defensive tackle as he prepares to enter the NFL. 

Full Name: Johnathan Jenkins (July 11, 1989)

Hometown: Meriden, Connecticut 

High School: Maloney High School in Meriden, Connecticut

Class: Senior

Major: Child and Family Development

John Jenkins took a mostly untraveled path to the NFL draft. He played at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for two seasons before drawing a tremendous amount of interest from some of the best college football programs in the nation. 

In the end, Jenkins chose Georgia over the likes of Auburn, Florida and Tennessee; among many other prominent programs. For Jenkins, a lot of his decision-making process had to do with education. 

Jenkins was named to the honor roll with a grade point average exceeding 3.0 in January. 

2011 (Junior): 14 games, 28 tackles, 14 solo, six for loss, three sacks, four quarterback hurries and one interception. 

2012 (Senior): 13 games, 50 tackles, 22 solo, two for loss, one sack and 10 quarterback hurries

Jenkins only played two seasons of major college ball after transferring from Gulf Coast Community College in Mississippi. Originally a backup nose tackle to fellow 2012 prospect Kwame Geathers, he made an instant impact as a rotational player in 2011. 

That being said, Jenkins' breakout campaign came as a senior this past season. He was a preseason All-SEC first team honoree and found himself on the Outland Trophy watch list as the best defensive lineman in the nation. 

Overall, Jenkins finished third on the team in quarterback hurries and helped anchor one of the most talented defensive lines in the entire nation. 

All statistics provided by CFB Stats

Measurements

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 346 pounds

Arm Length: 34.0"

Hand Size: 9 1/2"

Combine Results

Bench Press Reps: 30 at 225 

Pro Day Results

Broad Jump: 100.0"

40-Yard Dash: 5.20

Three-Cone Drill: 7.80

Vertical Jump: 24 1/2"

The biggest thing as it relates to Jenkins is his fluctuating weight. He played at anywhere between 335-to-370 pounds during his two-year career at Georgia. For his part, Jenkins attempted to explain why he cannot maintain a consistent frame (via Yahoo). 

I tell them you have nothing to worry about...It was the only time my football career ever that I was that high. It was the highest I had ever been at in my life. I didn’t have the right knowledge of how I should have my weight and wasn’t educated enough to keep my weight down. 

He didn't participate in any generic drill outside of the bench press at the combine, but did take part in pretty much every drill at Georgia's pro day. 

Jake Rowe of Rivals.com filed this report following Jenkins surprisingly solid pro day performance in Athens: 

After weighing in at 343 pounds on Thursday, Jenkins also had a strong showing in the defensive lineman bag drills.

The two-year starter at UGA showed excellent footwork, and the quick hands that can make him so tough to block in one-on-one situations.

NFL head coaches Mike Tomlin and Rex Ryan were watching Jenkins closely, and many believe the star nose tackle could go as early as the end of the first round or as late as the third round.

For such a big young man, it seems Jenkins has the athleticism and footwork to be a solid three-down nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme. Large scale questions as they relate to his weight aren't going to turn teams away in the first or second round. 

All measurements and combine numbers provided by NFL.com

All pro day results provided by NFL Draft Scout

It surely does appear that Gulf Coast Community College knows how to shoot out those massive defensive tackles. 

John Jenkins replaced current Baltimore Ravens nose tackle Terrence Cody as an anchor along the defensive line at the community college. For Jenkins, it was somewhat bittersweet. He knew full well that Cody had success after he moved on for Alabama, but didn't really care for following in his footsteps. 

Every time I turned around, it was 'Terrence Cody, Terrence Cody....I've been living in that man's shadow since day one. … It's something to live up to, because Terrence Cody had a successful career and continued on (to the NFL). Every athlete probably has a similarity to another athlete, but they are not that athlete. I'm just trying to establish my own identity.

Just imagine is Jenkins was a year or two older. How do you think junior college offensive lines would have held up against nearly 800 pounds of muscle and strength? Yeah, somewhat hard to conjure up at this point. 

Still, that's pretty crazy. 

It seems that Jenkins best fit is as a nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme. He has the size, technique and strength to be a solid run-stuffing zero tech out of the gate. 

On that note, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the San Francisco 49ers showed interest and visited with Jenkins prior to the draft (via NFL.com). 

That being said, Bleacher Report's Sigmund Bloom seems to indicate that Jenkins possesses more versatility than his frame suggests: 

Jenkins will surely appeal to teams that run 3-4 or multiple fronts with his rare frame to play two-gap nose tackle. He can also line up at 3-4 end or nose tackle in a 4-3 front, giving him a lot more versatility than his body type would indicate.

Just imagine Jenkins lining up at end against an offensive tackle. That has to be comedic to defensive coordinators who are interested in Jenkins' skill set. 

Matt Miller ranks him 101st overall, which is probably his bottom in terms of draft positioning. I am expecting the Georgia product to go somewhere early in the second day. 

Vincent Frank is an NFL featured columnist here at Bleacher Report. Vincent is the head sports editor over at eDraft, co-host of Draft Sports Radio, which airs every Monday and Wednesday from 3 to 6 p.m. ET, and a fantasy writer for Pro Football Focus.

Go ahead and give him a follow on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL.