Kyle Shanahan says 49ers WR Jauan Jennings has the right mindset and believes no one can stop him

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With all the injuries the San Francisco 49ers are dealing with, the team needed someone to step in and fill some of those holes. A wide receiver did this in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Jauan Jennings had 11 catches for 175 yards and three touchdowns. He was nearly unstoppable as he showed the type of play that 49ers fans were used to seeing from Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens.

Greg Papa, the radio voice of the 49ers, joined head coach Kyle Shanahan on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “49ers Game Plan” on Friday. Among the topics they discussed was Jennings’ performance. Papa asked Shanahan how Jennings continues to get open and create separation despite his lack of straight-line speed.

“He’s probably been our best separator here over the last few years,” Shanahan said. “He goes so hard. The way he comes off the ball when he makes contact doesn’t slow down at all. When someone grabs him, you never see him act like he’s being grabbed. He fights through everything. The way.” He blocks the way he runs routes. It’s just an attitude he has that no one can stop him.

“If you have that mindset, if you have a certain size and a certain sneaky power, and yes, he may not have the fastest times and test the fastest, but I just don’t think he’s a good tester. He didn’t jump.” His highest is at the combine, but the guy can do a 360-degree dunk, but the guy has the right attitude, and he has a lot more options in that game with Deebo (Samuel) out, and he’d tell you he’d do that every week if only he had more options, and I don’t think he’s wrong.”

Dad talked about Jennings’ long arms and 6-foot-3 frame and how he had great success making contested catches. Papa noted that of Jennings’ 11 catches in Sunday’s game, five were considered controversial. He asked Shanahan what he thought of the catch Jennings made as he reached over the Rams safety for a highlight reel grab, particularly QB Brock Purdy’s decision to throw the ball to Jennings, which was tightly covered.

“Yes, when you tell me it’s that coverage, there’s usually a person sitting right there in that coverage,” Shanahan added. “So a three-tier throw, so it should go to the upper or lower tier, but not to the middle tier. So when he let go I was a little nervous and quickly forgot about it. It was a hell of a read because every time you throw it and they do the play, we move on and move on to the next one, so it was a great play from him. I’m glad Brock gave him this opportunity.

Jennings got involved whenever he had the opportunity. The player dubbed “Third and Jauan” by fans has become an all-around threat for the 49ers due to his talent for converting third downs into first downs. With TE George Kittle returning this week against the New England Patriots and Samuel potentially returning as well, Jennings may not have to repeat his performance from last Sunday. But when those opportunities arise, Jennings has the mindset to go big for his team.

You can watch the entire interview by clicking on the video below.