Player Evaluation: Enzo Jennings

The buzzword for defenders on Penn State's defense the last two season has been "length." At 6-foot-1, 184 pounds, Enzo Jennings has that in spades. He combines that with a physical style of play that completes an imposing profile for defensive back coach Tim Banks to draw upon. His growth and development will determine where he lands on the back end of the Nittany Lions defense.

Important Note: Scouting notes are based on highlight videos. They should not be seen as a complete picture of the strengths and weaknesses of a prospect. The majority of the evaluation is based off of physical tools and what positional fundamentals can be gleaned from select plays. As these young men are still in the early stages of their development, projections are based on potential and development.

Length and Frame: Jennings is listed at 6-1, but seems to have the wingspan and length of a player two or three inches taller. He uses that length well to wrap around receivers and get to the ball. His frame seems primed to add weight, which will accentuate his other skills nicely. With natural skills as a tackler, he could develop into a physically imposing tackler in the secondary.

Physicality & Burst: Jennings fires downhill and delivers big shots in the running game. When he has the ball in front of him as a defensive back, he uses his long arms and strong tackling style to stop the receiver for little or no yards after the catch. His tackling and physicality near the line of scrimmage stand out so much that he has the versatility to transition to safety at the collegiate level. He has the range to play both deep coverage and in the box. His closing burst to make plays on the ball is very impressive.

Off/Zone Coverage: Jennings seems to have a natural knack for getting to his man at the same time as the ball. Combine this with his downhill acceleration and he's a perfect fit as a deep safety who needs the range and length to make plays from the hash to the sideline.

Change of Direction: Jennings has incredibly long legs and a high-cut build, so his center of gravity is higher than the typical defensive back. While this is where a lot of his burst and strength comes from, it does make it more difficult for the Michigan native to change direction. Jennings will have to learn how to gather his feet underneath him and play with a lower center of gravity. This will not only help his ability to change directions and tackle in space, but also increase his already impressive closing ability.

Diversity of Skills: You can no longer be just one thing as a defender. Linebackers must cover as well as tackle and safeties must play man coverage at times. Going along with improving his change of direction, Jennings would benefit from work on his man coverage skills to give him a more complete skill set. This would allow defensive coordinator Brent Pry more flexibility and give Jennings the potential to play closer to the line of scrimmage.

Ball In The Air: As Penn State fans have seen, plenty of young defensive backs struggle to make plays on the ball while it’s in the air. It certainly will be easier for Jennings to track the ball from zone coverage, but even free safeties find themselves in contested catch situations during the course of a season. Being able to turn and find the ball in the air is a rare skill and one that is very valuable. If Jennings can learn this, he could be a devastating coverage defender.

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The final two areas of development for Jennings are merely to create a more well-rounded, diverse player. As he is, he’s an ideal prospect to play free safety for the Nittany Lions. His range, physicality at the point of contact, and burst to close make him a great candidate to patrol the middle of the field for Pry. The question is not how high Jennings floor is (quite high) but how high his ceiling can be.

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