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The Next Chapter For Janoris Jenkins

There has not been a player selected in the first 2 rounds of the NFL Supplemental Draft since 2003.  But there also has not been a player with the skill set of Janoris Jenkins available for an NFL franchise to select in the past 8 years.

Earlier today, Coach Will Muschamp of the Florida Gators announced that Jenkins would be moving ahead to the next stage of his career, which meant that Jenkins’ time as a member of the Gators football team had come to a close.  While the news could not have come easy to Jenkins, it allows the extremely talented player to showcase his skills immediately at the next level.  As long as there is a Supplemental Draft this year (which usually occurs in July), it will be wise for Jenkins to enter his name into the pool of available players.  If there is no Supplemental Draft, Jenkins will be smart to enroll at a Division I-AA school instead of transferring to a FBS school (where he would have to sit out a year).

Janoris Jenkins is a first-team All-SEC selection.  He was named to College Football News and Sporting News? Freshman All-American team.  Rivals.com ranked Jenkins as the 6th best cornerback of his class coming out of high school, and he only improved upon that ranking while at the University of Florida.  On November 10, 2010, Todd McShay predicted that Jenkins would be selected at #15 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft, ahead of Mark Ingram, Nick Fairley, and Julio Jones. This was prior to Jenkins expressing his intentions to return to Florida for one last season.  No one has said a word about Jenkins’ having performance issues.  Does being charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession 4 days ago really drop his stock to anything below a 2nd round Supplemental Draft pick?  Any team with a need at cornerback is crazy to pass up that kind of talent in the 2nd round.

Jenkins is supposedly already in the process of selecting an agent to help him with the Supplemental Draft.  He will need an advisor who is going to tell him what he needs to hear, and not necessarily what he wants to hear.  As long as he understands that the tough love is what will allow him to get to and excel at the next level, I have faith that Jenkins has a bright future ahead of him.  Further, I think the newest pride of Pahokee, Florida needs to select an agent who has strong ties to people who can help him show his compassionate side and do some good off the field of play.  This will lessen the focus on previous arrests.

A total of 40 players have been taken in the Supplemental Draft since its creation in 1977.  Big name players such as Bernie Kosar, Brian Bosworth, and Cris Carter found their spots in the NFL this way.  If given the opportunity, I believe Jenkins will do the same, and will have a very successful NFL career.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

2 replies on “The Next Chapter For Janoris Jenkins”

If the NFL remains in gridlock and thus doesn’t have a supplemental draft, I wonder if Jenkins might play for a year in the UFL? It’d be a chance to make some money, plus he’d be playing against higher-level competition than the FCS/I-AA level could offer.

the ufl is a nice league but theres no way he does that. going to a D1AA would be a great option otherwise if he wants to go pro the supplemental draft would be a good bet

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