The Pittsburgh Steelers take many things into account when acquiring a player in free agency or the draft, but there is no denying that they place an extra bit of weight on NFL bloodlines. At different points, they have had numerous sets of siblings on the team at the same time: Terrell and Trey Edmunds, Carlos and Khalil Davis, Derek and T.J. Watt, Cameron and Connor Heyward, and Nate and Nick Herbig. Even in last year’s draft, Joey Porter Jr. was a legacy player to the organization. That doesn’t happen by accident. And Michigan DL Kris Jenkins has those NFL bloodlines that the Steelers seem to covet.
“My dream started when I was little watching my dad,” Jenkins said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “The first memory I could really think of is getting brought down on the field after my dad played my uncle when the Panthers played Green Bay…I wanted to be like that.”
His father, Kris Jenkins, played for the Carolina Panthers from 2001 to 2007 and the New York Jets from 2008 to 2010. He was a first-team All-Pro selection two times and made the Pro Bowl four times as a defensive tackle. His uncle, Cullen Jenkins, was in the NFL from 2004 to 2016. That NFL pedigree, and the lifestyle that comes with growing up in that environment, gives Jenkins a leg up on others in terms of knowing what to expect and how to prepare himself.
Knowing that Mike Tomlin-led teams have a tendency to pursue these bloodlines, Jenkins was asked if he had the opportunity yet to meet with the Steelers head coach.
“I’ve definitely been fortunate enough to meet with him,” Jenkins said. “Being around him, seeing like his energy, his attitude towards everything, I can definitely see why he’s the way that he is. It’s really cool and hopefully he is looking at a cat like me.”
He didn’t specify if it was a formal meeting, so it isn’t on our tracker, but mentioning Tomlin means he likely did have that formal meeting at the Combine.
His pedigree goes beyond the bloodlines. He has already started to carve out a legacy of his own by winning a national championship with Michigan in 2023. He was a captain in high school and then was honored as a captain in 2023 for the Wolverines, who had a perfect season en route to their first national championship since 1997.
He spent four years at Michigan and started to see the field in his second year before becoming a full-time starter for the final two seasons. He logged 113 total tackles, 54 solo tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks, and one interception. He earned a second-team All-American selection in 2023 and received academic honors throughout his time as a student-athlete. Off the field, he has everything that the Steelers like in their draft picks.
He is just on the border of checking most of the boxes that the Steelers have placed a premium on in their recent history of drafting defensive ends. His height (6026) is a bit less than the 6-4 benchmark that the Steelers have gravitated toward, but he makes up for it with his overall length with 34-inch arms. His weight checks out at 299 pounds, too. He showed off his athleticism at that size with a 4.91-second 40-yard dash time, his strength with 29 bench-press reps, and his explosiveness with a 30-inch vertical jump.
In other words, he checks the boxes in every category except for height and three-cone (DNP). And he explained why an NFL GM should invest in him.
“I’m a disciplined player. I’m gonna get you whatever you need,” Jenkins said. “If you need me to be an impact player, I’m gonna do everything in my power to do that. If you need me to be a gritty trench player, do the dirty work, I’m gonna do whatever I can to do that…I’m humble, I’ve learned to be humble.”
The Steelers like their defensive linemen to be able to line up all across the front. Given all the boxes he checks both on and off the field, Jenkins should be someone firmly in play for Pittsburgh. He currently projects as a second-round player and could be available when the Steelers pick 51st overall.
