Michigan DL Kris Jenkins officially declares for 2024 NFL Draft
The Michigan Wolverines will officially be without captain and defensive Kris Jenkins next season after declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. He had a fifth season of eligibility remaining had he decided to run it back in Ann Arbor.
Jenkins is a two-time All-Big Ten selection (second team, coaches, 2023; third team, media, 2023; honorable mention, coaches and media, 2022) and appeared in 44 career games in Ann Arbor with 32 starts along the defensive line.
Jenkins was voted as a team captain this season and held down the middle of Michigan’s defensive line, often doing the dirty work and setting others up for success. Jenkins had 37 total tackles with 2.5 sacks this year to go along with a fumble recovery and an interception. His play earned him second-team All-American nods by the AFCA and FWAA and third-team recognition by the AP, The Athletic and CBS Sports.
Jenkins was a three-star prospect and the No. 487 player in the country in the 2020 recruiting class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
Jenkins is considered a potential day-two NFL Draft prospect with the potential of sliding into the first round. Pro Football Focus rates him as the No. 52 overall prospect in the class, making him the second-ranked Michigan player behind quarterback J.J. McCarthy (No. 48). McCarthy has eligibility remaining and still could return to Michigan for his senior season.
“Overall, Jenkins projects as a good run defender who has a high ceiling as a pass-rusher, but he isn’t a complete player at this time,” Bleacher Report writes. “Schematically, he could play as either a 4i-technique in odd fronts or as a 3-technique in even fronts.”
Jenkins was considered one of the tone-setters in Schembechler Hall, especially when people doubted Michigan’s ability to contend for a national title.
“For the most part, they just don’t want to accept what’s happening right now, pretty much, like how the season’s been turning out for the most part,” Jenkins said, per Brett McMurphy. “That’s what we feel like. Time and time again, we proved everybody wrong time and time again, game after game after game after game. So, like we’ve been saying, we don’t know how many more excuses everybody got, but I guess we’ll see.”
Without Jenkins at defensive tackle, Michigan will lean on a pair of third-year players Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant next season, in addition to expanded roles for others such as Rayshaun Benny.
