Packers Sign Arkansas State S M.D. Jennings

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The Green Bay Packers have agreed to terms with Arkansas State safety M.D. Jennings, who caught the Packers eye early on in the process.

While he didn’t visit Green Bay, JSOnline reported that Jennings “was heavily pursued by the Packers and signed as a priority free agent.”

Jennings stands 5-11 and weighs 187 pounds. At his pro day, Jennings ran the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds and had a vertical leap of 35.5 inches. He also benched-pressed 225 pounds 10 times.

College summary

Jennings was a three-year starter and a tw0-time All-Sun Belt first team selection at Arkansas State.

He started all 12 games his sophomore season and led the Red Wolves in interceptions (three) and pass-deflections (five). The next season, Jennings started 11 games before hurting his ankle and missing the final contest. He finished the ’09 season with one interception and a team-high three fumble recoveries.

2010 saw Jennings put together the finest season of his collegiate career. He tallied 83 total tackles and three interceptions while also recording a sack. His performance vs. Louisiana-Monroe sticks out on the game log, as he intercepted two passes and recorded six stops. Overall, Jennings finished with eight total interceptions and two forced fumbles in over 30 collegiate games.

Commentary

Jennings primarily played free safety at Arkansas State, but he needs to add considerable weight to play that position in the NFL. 187 pounds simply isn’t enough to withstand the pounding and he’d struggle to keep up physically with NFL tight ends.

However, the Packers’ plan could be to allow Jennings to grow into the hybrid corner/safety role that Charles Woodson has perfected. That might be a long shot, but it’s certainly a possibility. Either way, Jennings’ best chance to stick in Green Bay will be on the practice squad. You can say that about every undrafted free agent, but it’s especially true for Jennings. He needs time to add weight before he can play safety at this level.

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Zach Kruse is a 23-year-old sports journalist with a passion for the Green Bay Packers. He currently lives in Wisconsin and is working on his journalism degree, while also covering prep sports for The Dunn Co. News.

You can read more of Zach's Packers articles on AllGreenBayPackers.com.

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