Emanuel E. "EJ" Jenkins (born November 3, 1998) is an American professional football tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Saint Francis Red Flash, South Carolina Gamecocks and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and has also been a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.
 | |
| No. 84 – Philadelphia Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | November 3, 1998 Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Chancellor (Fredericksburg, Virginia) |
| College: | Saint Francis (2017–2020) South Carolina (2021) Georgia Tech (2022) |
| Undrafted: | 2023 |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Roster status: | Practice squad |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editJenkins was born on November 3, 1998, in Fredericksburg, Virginia.[1] He attended Chancellor High School where he played football and basketball, recording 44 receptions for 1,002 yards and 16 touchdown as a senior.[2] He was named first-team all-conference and the Free Lance-Star Male Athlete of the Year.[2] He set five school receiving records, including for career receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.[2] He was a three-star recruit and initially committed to play college football for the Old Dominion Monarchs, but later opted to play for the Saint Francis Red Flash, joining his friend and high school quarterback Jason Brown.[3][4]
College career
editJenkins redshirted as a freshman at Saint Francis in 2017.[5] The following year, he caught five passes for 52 yards.[6] He had a breakout season in 2019, finishing with 39 catches for 779 yards while breaking the school record with 13 receiving touchdowns.[7] He was named second-team All-Northeast Conference (NEC) for his performance.[2] Saint Francis canceled their 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
Jenkins transferred to the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2021.[9] He appeared in 12 games for the Gamecocks, totaling eight receptions for 117 yards.[10] He entered the NCAA transfer portal for a second time in 2022, ultimately transferring to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.[11] In his only season there, he appeared in all 12 games, starting 11, and recorded 17 catches for 316 yards along with three touchdowns.[12][13] He was invited to the Hula Bowl at the conclusion of his collegiate career.[14]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
245 lb (111 kg) |
34+1⁄8 in (0.87 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.62 s | 1.62 s | 2.66 s | 4.38 s | 7.52 s | 32 in (0.81 m) |
10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
14 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[15] | ||||||||||||
New York Jets
editJenkins impressed at his pro day, but ultimately was not selected in the 2023 NFL draft.[6][16] He signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent.[6] He caught three passes for 23 yards during preseason, but was ultimately waived by the Jets at the final roster cuts, on August 29, 2023.[17]
Philadelphia Eagles
editOn November 1, 2023, Jenkins was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles to the practice squad.[18] He was released from the practice squad on November 14.[19]
Las Vegas Raiders
editJenkins signed with the Las Vegas Raiders to the practice squad on January 2, 2024, prior to the team's season finale.[20] He was released on January 15.[21]
Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)
editJenkins returned to the Eagles by signing a reserve/future contract with the team on January 18, 2024.[22] He was waived on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[23][24]
References
edit- ^ "E.J. Jenkins Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d "E.J. Jenkins". South Carolina Gamecocks.
- ^ Ventre, Ralph (May 8, 2023). "Meet the Jets' UDFA: EJ Jenkins, TE, Georgia Tech (49)". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Diaz, Cory (November 16, 2021). "Beyond football: How Jason Brown, E.J. Jenkins' bond help transition to South Carolina". The Greenville News.
- ^ Sugiuura, Ken (August 22, 2022). "Seeking mismatches, Georgia Tech looks to 'giant' E.J. Jenkins". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^ a b c Caudell, Jackson (April 29, 2023). "Georgia Tech Wide Receiver E.J Jenkins Signs With The New York Jets". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Bezjak, Lou (August 11, 2021). "Receiver or tight end? Doesn't matter. EJ Jenkins ready to make impact for Gamecocks". The State.
- ^ Sugiura, Ken (May 16, 2022). "Taisun Phommachanh, E.J. Jenkins commit to Georgia Tech out of portal". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^ Boynton, Eric (April 16, 2021). "South Carolina determining how to best use 6-foot-7 transfer receiver E.J. Jenkins". GoUpstate.com.
- ^ Portnoy, Ben (April 18, 2022). "South Carolina losing EJ Jenkins to transfer portal". The State.
- ^ Stone, Augusta (May 16, 2022). "EJ Jenkins transfer decision is in: He's headed to the ACC". The State.
- ^ Sugiura, Ken (March 16, 2023). "E.J. Jenkins wows scouts at Georgia Tech Pro Day". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- ^ DeShazo, Steve (April 23, 2022). "Former Chancellor star E.J. Jenkins is ready for the NFL draft". The Free Lance-Star.
- ^ "Jenkins Readies for Hula Bowl". Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. January 12, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout E. J. Jenkins College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
- ^ Caudell, Jackson (March 16, 2023). "E.J Jenkins Talks About His Impressive Performance At Georgia Tech Pro Day". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Caudell, Jackson (August 29, 2023). "Former Georgia Tech wide receiver E.J. Jenkins waived by the New York Jets". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Erby, Glenn (November 1, 2023). "Eagles to sign tight end E.J. Jenkins to practice squad ahead of Week 9". USA Today.
- ^ "E.J. Jenkins: Dropped by Philadelphia". CBS Sports. RotoWire. November 14, 2023.
- ^ "E.J. Jenkins joins Raiders' practice squad". The Free Lance-Star. January 2, 2024.
- ^ "E. J. Jenkins Transactions & Injuries". sportsforecaster.com.
- ^ "Eagles' E.J. Jenkins: Heading to Philadelphia". CBS Sports. RotoWire. January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Get your first look at the Eagles' initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. August 27, 2024.
- ^ Gowton, Brandon Lee (August 28, 2024). "Eagles practice squad: Team announces 14 signings". Bleeding Green Nation. SB Nation. Retrieved September 7, 2024.