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Jim Harbaugh says A.J. Jenkins “did OK” despite zero catches

Jim Harbaugh, Michael Crabtree, A. J. Jenkins

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh directs a practice as wide receivers Michael Crabtree (15) and wide receiver A. J. Jenkins (17) wait to run a drill on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in New Orleans. The 49ers are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

AP

San Francisco receiver A.J. Jenkins did not catch a pass in the 49ers’ second preseason game, meaning he still has just one catch in the preseason -- the one he promptly fumbled. But 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is defending Jenkins’s performance.

He did OK,” Harbaugh said of Smith. “It’s a step.”

Jenkins did have a 21-yard catch that was called back by a holding penalty, and although some have blamed Jenkins for a pass that Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith intercepted, Harbaugh said that was a bad pass by backup quarterback Colt McCoy.

“Smith’s a heck of a player,” Harbaugh said. “But on that route he got the interception, A.J. had a step on him. The throw should have been out in front, not back shoulder.”

As the 49ers’ 2012 first-round draft pick, Jenkins has been a major disappointment, failing to catch a pass in his rookie season and looking shaky this preseason. Jenkins may have been “OK,” but teams usually want more than just “OK” from a first-round pick.