DB Malcolm Jenkins (All B1G, All-American, Thorpe Award, All-Pro, 2x Super Bowl Champion)

[muffler dragon]

Congratulations young Man!!!

 

[Nutriaitch]

Sorry, did I miss something or are am I talking to a Cleveland fan?

so you know the feeling?

 

[Buckskin86]

Piscataway's Malcolm Jenkins 'ready to play' for New Orleans Saints
by Jenny Vrentas/The Star-Ledger
Saturday April 25, 2009

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press
Earlier this year, Malcolm Jenkins celebrated winning the Jim Thorpe award with parents Gwendolyn and Lee. Saturday, he celebrated his No. 14 draft selection.

Two hundred of Malcolm Jenkins' family, friends and former coaches, from states as far as California and Minnesota, began to arrive at the New Brunswick Hyatt at 1 p.m. Saturday. Four-and-a-half hours later, the Piscataway grad and former Ohio State cornerback received the call they were all anticipating: the New Orleans Saints would be taking him with the No. 14 pick of the NFL Draft.

"They called me about pick 12, and told me," Jenkins said later in the evening, with his family members excitedly chattering in the background. "Now I'm just getting ready to play."

ESPN had a camera crew at Jenkins' draft party, a celebration his parents dubbed "The Big Game." In a hotel conference room decorated in scarlet and gray, with a goalpost made out of balloons, they had laid out a four-quarter agenda, featuring Pop Warner highlights, favorite memories from his two younger brothers and, of course, the Draft broadcast on a theater-size screen.

When Jenkins received the call from the Saints, he immediately looked at his mom, Gwendolyn, and hugged her. The rest of the room, knowing what a phone call means, began the celebration.

"Everyone was watching him on the phone the whole time -- it wasn't a secret," said Larry Lester, who was Jenkins' former position coach at Piscataway and has talked to him once a week in the four years since. "It was emotional, but it was very positive emotional."

Piscataway's Malcolm Jenkins "ready to play" for New Orleans Saints - NJ.com

Saturday, Apr. 25, 2009
Saints made the smart pick, the safe pick, in Jenkins
By JIM MASHEK - McClatchy Newspapers

METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints needed some help in the secondary, and at running back. But the more glaring need was in the secondary.

Anyone who has seen 5-foot-8 Jason David get burned on the corner in his two seasons with the Saints will attest to that.

The Saints made the smart pick, the safe pick, in Saturday's NFL Draft by taking Ohio State cornerback Malcolm Jenkins with the 14th choice overall. Jenkins played both cornerback and safety with the Buckeyes, but he says the Saints envision him as a corner.

"Just talking to the coaches," Jenkins said, "they see me as a corner."

It's a demanding position, to be sure, and there are some questions about Jenkins' speed after he was clocked at 4.55 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

No one, however, can question his track record. He didn't miss a start in his final three seasons at Ohio State and was last year's Jim Thorpe Award winner, which goes to the nation's top defensive back.

"His intangibles, his football IQ, his toughness, I think those things will help him at this level," Saints coach Sean Payton said.

Jenkins traveled to meet with five or six NFL teams, including the Saints, Titans, Jets and Patriots. Gregg Williams, the Saints' new defensive coordinator, made an impression with him.

"(Williams) is not going to beat around the bush," Jenkins said. "He's a hard-nosed coach, my kind of coach."

Saints made the smart pick, the safe pick, in Jenkins - National voices - Merced Sun-Star

 

[JohnLSU]

Saints fan here: should I be happy that we got Jenkins or not??? Be honest.

[Admins: Please don't merge with the MJ thread in the "Buckeye Alumni" sub-forum, it doesn't get near the posts that this main forum gets, as I note below...highlighted in crimson]

Malcolm Jenkins is the third Buckeye to join the New Orleans Saints current roster (along with Will Smith and Kevin Houser). That gives the Saints just as many Buckeyes as we have LSU Tigers, Tennessee Vols, Miami Hurricanes, Oklahoma Sooners, and USC Trojans.

Personally, I'm not yet "thrilled" (but I would like to be) about getting Jenkins, because I don't know a lot about him and I heard this was a down year for DBs in the Draft, and I was hoping we would trade down and get someone like DB Sean Smith of Utah if any DB this Draft. In the off-season, we signed two NFL-proven DBs in young up-and-coming-stud CB Jabari Greer and veteran 4x Pro Bowl free S Darren Sharper so we've already filled our needs in the secondary... but yeah, Sharper is getting old and will need a young replacement ready to take over at safety in the next couple years.

I came here to see what you guys thought about Jenkins (there are intelligent posters here that impress me with their opinion).

Yesterday afternoon, just after the Saints took Malcolm, a fellow LSU/Saints fan went to Malcolm's thread in the "Buckeye Alumni" sub-forum (67,477 posts), and asked:

"ok, someone give me a breakdown/projection for Malcolm (strengths/weaknesses). Will he be a Safety or a Corner? ... What can Saints fans expect?"

Despite the fact that the NFL Draft is a hot topic right now, he only got three replies: two making it sound like it was great the Saints got Jenkins, and one making it sound negative.

So I'm coming here to the main board (310,842 posts) to see what you guys think.

On the Saints forums, I saw that some of our fans are hoping that Jenkins is like Ty Law and/or Charles Woodson.

When Ty Law and Charles Woodson were at Michigan, I thought they would be great in the pros (All Pro/Pro Bowl), and I was right. But that was back when I mainly watched TV/ESPN. Now, with the internet, I get to focus my "sporting news" time on learning more specifically about LSU and Saints players so I've never gotten to hear about Jenkins like I would had he played back in the day that ESPN was my primary sports news source.

So what can y'all tell me about Jenkins? Is he as much of a sure thing as Ty Law and Charles Woodson, or is it more likely that he is "just" going to be a solid NFL starting DB (which is still great) or is there a chance he might be a 1st Round "bust"? Remember that we took Antonio Pittman in the 4th, and then we cut him at camp in favor of the guy we got as an undrafted free agent--Illinois' Pierre Thomas (who was on fire at the end of last season and is a big fan favorite). What is the chance of Malcolm being a 1st-Round "bust," not living up to expectations?

For example, just looking at the 1st Round picks out of LSU since the 2005 Draft:

Had you guys come to an LSU forum to ask about 1st Round pick (1st overall) QB JaMarcus Russell, I would have told you that I big doubts about him, and I'm glad the Saints didn't have to take him. But, if you asked me about 1st Round pick (6th overall) S LaRon Landry, I would have told you that I was insane with jealously that the Saints didn't get him. Same with 1st-Round pick Marcus Spears. As for 1st-Round picks WR Dwayne Bowe and WR Craig Davis, I wasn't sure (turns out Bowe is really good in the NFL). As for 1st-Round pick RB Joe Addai, I would have given him a "B" (because he never got to be a primary back for a whole season while he was here at LSU, although he was great whenever he did play). As for 1st-Round pick DE Tyson Jackosn, I'm not sure about him.

To help jog your memory of how good/bad you have been at predicting what Buckeyes were good 1st Round draft picks...

RECENT FIRST ROUND PICKS OUT OF OHIO STATE:
2009 - MJ (NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!!!!!)
2009 - Beanie Wells
2008 - Vernon Gholston
2007 - Ted Ginn, Jr
2007 - Anthony Gonzalez
2006 - AJ Hawk
2006 - Donte Whitner
2006 - Bobby Carpenter
2006 - Santonio Holmes
2006 - Nick Mangold
2004 - Will Smith (NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!!!!!)
2004 - Chris Gamble
2004 - Mike Jenkins

National Football League: NFL Draft History Full Draft - by School

Michigan's Ty Law with an interception in the Holiday Bowl -- Law played for Michigan in the early 90's (like 15 years ago).

Michigan's Charles Woodson, Heisman-winner

Woodson's historic INT

Woodson's INT against Ryan Leaf in the Rose Bowl

 

[NFBuck]

Actually, a large number of us read the Alumni Forum.

You got a good one. MJ will have the ability to excel at either CB or safety. He's a true shutdown corner, great tackler and one of the better run support corners we've seen come through here. I think he'll continue tOSU's strong CB tradition in the NFL and may rival the best we've put into the league (Winfield, Clements). I was really hoping he'd slip to the Browns. On top of all that he's a terrific kid with a good head on his shoulders.

Please remove the Woodson/Law pictures. They're making me ill.

 

[3074326]

First of all, we know what Woodson and Law look like. Get those pictures out of here.

Malcolm has the potential to be an elite corner eventually, and could probably step in and be a top FS right away. I think if you have a guy who can be an elite corner, you give him a shot there. If that doesn't work out, move him to safety. Kind of like what the Cardinals did with Antrel Rolle, only I think Malcolm is much better than Rolle in every way.

He's a high character guy. A definite leader. He's a force on special teams, too, which is forgotten a lot of the time. He has good size, he's fast enough despite what you might hear. The only negatives (other than speed) that I've heard about him are that his hips aren't fluid enough to be an elite corner, and that he's not the best man-to-man guy. I disagree with the second part and don't know about the first. I'm no expert when it comes to evaluating talent.. but I know that I've seen Malcolm beast for years at OSU and that he's the best corner that's come out of college football in a while.

 

[JohnLSU]

Actually, a large number of us read the Alumni Forum.

You got a good one. MJ will have the ability to excel at either CB or safety. He's a true shutdown corner, great tackler and one of the better run support corners we've seen come through here. I think he'll continue tOSU's strong CB tradition in the NFL and may rival the best we've put into the league (Winfield, Clements). I was really hoping he'd slip to the Browns. On top of all that he's a terrific kid with a good head on his shoulders.

Please remove the Woodson/Law pictures. They're making me ill.

I know he was good in college, he was GREAT in college, won all the awards. But I'm asking how he'd do in the pros. True shutdown corner in the NFL???? Does anybody think he can do that? I don't think so. I think he's a big physical CB that we took because can challenge some of the WRs we have to go against... but true shut down corner???? That's like saying he is he next Sanders or Asomugha. As for run support, I thought that was his strong suit. No?

 

[3074326]

I know he was good in college, he was GREAT in college, won all the awards. But I'm asking how he'd do in the pros. True shutdown corner in the NFL???? Does anybody think he can do that? I don't think so. I think he's a big physical CB that we took that can challenge some of the WRs we have to go against... but true shut down corner????

He can be.. no doubt in my mind.

Why don't you think he can be a shut down corner?

 

[OregonBuckeye]

Forget the 40. Not nearly as bad as people made it seem and not nearly as important. Morgan Trent ran down Percy Harvin but can't cover a 5 year old girl. Jenkins is quick and explosive. He is a great open field tackler and plays the ball in the air very well. As good as his physical tools are, his best assests are his intangibles. He plays with no fear, works extremely hard, and he's a great leader. He won't show up in the news for the wrong kinds of things. He's a quick learner too. He played a lot here as a true frosh.

I think you may have gotten yourselves a bigger Antoine Winfield. At worst, Jenkins will be an A.J. Hawk type player(solid, steady, but not quite the playmaker he was in college). That's at worst. This was a low risk-high reward pick.

 

[3074326]

At worst, Jenkins will be an A.J. Hawk type player(solid, steady, but not quite the playmaker he was in college). That's at worst. This was a low risk-high reward pick.

Thing is, if he doesn't work out at CB like we expect, I'd be shocked if he couldn't be an elite FS. This is a great pick.

 

[JohnLSU]

He can be.. no doubt in my mind.

Why don't you think he can be a shut down corner?

Well, honestly, I bought what the Bills fans said about the CB we took from them, Jabari Greer (U of Tenn), being a shut down corner... but Greer won an NCAA National Individual Championship in track. And they showed me video clips of him shutting down the stud WRs in the AFC that he had to go against (the only AFC WR he struggled against was Randy Moss).

But, Greer is a track star, he's not big or physical, and he is not a phenomenal tackler... and we play against some big physical WRs in our division, like the WRs LSU likes to recruit... and I think that is big part of why we took Malcolm, because he fits a need we have in challenging those big physical WR types... in addition I thought we took Malcolm because he was very good in run support, and I also thought we took Malcolm because he very possibly might be an understudy being primed to replace our brand new 4-time Pro Bowl free safety Darren Sharper who will be aging very quickly very soon.

 

[3074326]

Well, honestly, I bought what the Bills fans said about the CB we took from them, Jabari Greer (U of Tenn), being a shut down corner... but Greer won an NCAA National Individual Championship in track. And they showed me video clips of him shutting down the stud WRs in the AFC that he had to go against (the only AFC WR he struggled against was Randy Moss).

But, Greer is a track star, he's not big or physical, and he is not a phenomenal tackler... and we play against some big physical WRs in our division, like the WRs LSU likes to recruit... and I think that is big part of why we took Malcolm, because he fits a need we have in challenging those big physical WR types... in addition I thought we took Malcolm because he was very good in run support, and I also thought we took Malcolm because he very possibly might be an understudy being primed to replace our brand new 4-time Pro Bowl free safety Darren Sharper who will be aging very quickly very soon.

All of those are good reasons to take him. He's a great tackler. Definitely physical. I think you'll be happy with him. I can tell you that I'm one of the newest Saints fans because he's there.

Tape doesn't lie, and I cannot think of a WR who got the better of Malcolm over the course of a game. He definitely had moments where he was beat, but they were few. His performance last year was a thing of beauty.

And like I said about special teams.. I'm pretty sure he had at least two blocks last year.

 

[Buckskin86]

Q and A with Malcolm Jenkins

NewOrleansSaints.com, NewOrleansSaints.com
Saturday, April 25, 2009

Q: Did you think you would go to the Saints at 14?

A: Once a couple of things were going on and on, I thought it was looking nice. I?m just happy and grateful.

Q: Where do you think you fit into this defense?

A: Just talking to the coaches when they called me, they said corner. Right now I?m thinking about the outside and we?ll see how that goes in camp.

Q: Can you discuss if the prospects of moving to safety would be something you would welcome.

A: Yes, it?s definitely something I would welcome. Wherever I would help the team is what I?m going to do. If that?s at safety, I?m going to play. If that?s at corner, that?s where I?m going to play. Regardless, I?m trying to put this team in the best position to win.

Q: Who did you think might take you above the Saints?

A: I know the Browns liked me, but I wasn?t sure where they were going to go and I know probably the other team was the Broncos. Other than that, those were the only other teams I was thinking about.

New Orleans Saints - Q and A with Malcolm Jenkins

 

[Nutriaitch]

hello Johnny. been a while, hasn't it?

But I'm asking how he'd do in the pros. True shutdown corner in the NFL???? Does anybody think he can do that? I don't think so.

dude, if you want someone to tear MJ down, and proclaim that he won't be "all that" in the NFL, I'm thinking a Buckeye board is the wrong place to look.

But this is the perfect spot to look for his strengths mostly. These guys are pretty good posters, and very knowledgable. Not too biased, but they're gonna support the hell outta their guys, and not just throw them under the bus.

 

[Viking]

dude, if you want someone to tear MJ down, and proclaim that he won't be "all that" in the NFL, I'm thinking a Buckeye board is the wrong place to look.

Quoted for truth. I'm probably one of the more critical people here regarding our Buckeyes as NFL prospects (see my rep), but Jenkins isn't someone I'm really going to criticize that much.

This is what I will say. Jenkins could get burned by a wide receiver who runs an effective sub 4.40 if he doesn't get a clean jam, but in terms of matching up against guys like Michael Jenkins, Roddy Jones, Muhsin Muhammed, Dwayne Jarrett, Antonio Bryant, etc, he should do the job. I won't say he can cover Steve Smith one-on-one, but in all likelihood he'll control 90% of the receivers he faces in the NFL.

In the event that he has real problems jamming people (which is where I see any problems occurring considering his hips and quickness are fantastic), and perhaps getting beat deep as a result, he should be a Pro Bowl free safety. 4.51 is more than enough to play anything except perhaps deep Cover 1 by himself (and he's got the instincts for zone coverage), and Jenkins tackles better that half the linebackers in this draft.

Not to mention you guys just picked Chip Vaughn if I read the ticker right, so expect him to play free safety for you guys. I know he's a fourth round pick, but I'm a fan.