AP

Could the 49ers really cut their 2012 first-round draft pick before the 2013 regular season? That’s a question being raised in San Francisco as receiver A.J. Jenkins continues to struggle.

Jenkins, who didn’t catch a single pass as a rookie and fumbled the only pass he caught in last week’s preseason opener, was the only receiver on the roster who didn’t catch any passes in Monday’s practice, either in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 work, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.

Teammates and coaches are continuing to say they believe in Jenkins, and 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said after the preseason opener, “A.J. does a lot of really good things. He’s just got to continue to work and get better day by day.”

Still, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News raises the question of whether 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke will decide to cut his losses and release Jenkins when the 49ers have to finalize their 53-man roster. At this point, if the 49ers keep Jenkins, it’s probably just because cutting a first-round pick after one season is something that simply isn’t done in the NFL. Based purely on merit, Jenkins doesn’t belong.