University of Michigan standout Kris Jenkins Jr. wants to be known for more than just being his father’s son.
The 22-year-old defensive tackle is one of the top players at his position entering the 2024 NFL Draft. In fact, he’s widely regarded as a projected second-round pick. To top it all off, Jenkins is coming off of a national championship win in his final season at Michigan.
He also just so happens to be the son of Kris Jenkins, who was a four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle with the Carolina Panthers while helping lead them to a Super Bowl appearance at the conclusion of the 2003 season. Jenkins enjoyed a 10-year career in the NFL.
Kris’ uncle, Cullen, was also an accomplished defensive lineman himself. Cullen played 14 years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers at the end of the 2010 season.
That bloodline serves Jenkins Jr. well as he prepares to carve out his own NFL legacy.
“Honestly, just be a dog and be a Jenkins,” said Jenkins Jr. during a one-one-one interview. “You’ve seen it with my pops and my uncle, that gladiator mentality they had playing back in the day and monster mentality. How they are able to throw people around. I’ll thank them — use their speed and athleticism. That’s the type of genes and untapped energy I have within me. I have to fully embrace that.”
The second-team All-American selection isn’t quite as big as his father at his peak – the younger Jenkins weighs roughly 300 pounds in comparison to his dad at 360 pounds – but he possesses great athleticism punctuated with first-step quickness and twists and stunts.
Jenkins already has high goals for himself before he finds out which team he’s landing with on draft day.
“Being the best defensive player possible,” says Jenkins Jr. on his goals for the rookie season. “If I could write that perfect story, getting a Super Bowl and being Defensive Rookie of the Year. Just trying to reach the stars. The sky’s the limit.”
Jenkins Jr. — who brings high energy and a positive vibe to any environment he’s in — actually compares his style of play to the best defensive tackle in the game, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Chris Jones.
“Skill wise, I would have to say the great Chris Jones,” says Jenkins Jr. “Especially with the versatility of just being able to move across the line. You want me to play six-technique, seven-technique or nose tackle, three-technique? I’m going to do it in a heartbeat. I definitely have a long way to go. I’m going to do whatever the team needs me to do, whatever you need me to train on, I’m going to do it 100%.”
While Jenkins Jr. would welcome the opportunity to play for any team, he admits playing for the Jim Harbaugh-led Los Angeles Chargers – his former college coach – would be the easiest transition.
“I’m the type of person — no matter how long it takes — I’m going to eat somewhere,” says Jenkins. “I’m going to eat where we go. The most logical answer for now would be the Chargers (as far as easiest fit). Just knowing the scheme, knowing the communication, that culture would probably be the quickest for me.”
Jenkins Jr. actually recently paid a visit to the Chargers on a pre-draft visit just a week prior to the draft.
“It went fantastic,” says Jenkins. “It’s great to see him at the big stage at the next level sitting in their offices in beautiful Los Angeles, California. It was really surreal, being able to talk about my progress, weight rise, being able to talk about how the next level is going to be. It was a really cool opportunity.”
The Wolverines alum says Harbaugh “leading by example” and practicing what he preaches is what makes him such a great coach and leader. Jenkins Jr. also mentions how playing for Harbaugh and at Ann Arbor at one of the biggest programs in the nation made him a better player due to helping shape his work ethic.
While the Chargers will naturally be linked to Jenkins Jr. due to the Harbaugh connection, the All-American selection mentions the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings as potentially great fits due to their “culture.” Jenkins Jr. has met with both teams and outlines why each of them stand out to him.
“Putting the Dolphins and the Vikings up there,” says Jenkins Jr. as far as great pre-draft visits. “Just seeing their culture and how tight their culture is. I’ve heard about — from the grapevine from a distance — but meeting the coaches, the players and really seeing that culture and how they want to get better, how hard they work, that family they have going on. It was really cool to see and I could definitely see that I would be welcomed into that environment.”
Jenkins Jr. is speaking on behalf of his partnership – his first major one – with P&G (Procter & Gamble) brand Bounty. Meijer – a well-known supercenter brand located in Michigan – is the 16th-largest private company in the United States and is supplying the defensive tackle with essentials just prior to their draft as part of their “Ready For Anything” campaign.
“I’m fortunate enough to be able to partner with P&G and partner with Bounty because we’re getting into a new phase of my life,” says Jenkins Jr. “This is a phase of my life I always dreamed of. About to be in a new city, a new team and a new career.”
The 6-foot-3 defensive tackle explains how he’ll prepare for the draft with the essentials P&G are providing him.
“With the draft coming up, we’re going to have a huge barbecue,” says Jenkins Jr. “Get the burgers laid out, get the fries and get the wings — especially the wings. As they say, you can’t have football without wings and you can’t have wings without Bounty.”
