Alex Smith has said that AJ Jenkins has a "ton of talent" following his trade to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The pair were teammates at the San Francisco 49ers last season, but the wide receiver did not feature before Smith lost the starting quarterback job to Colin Kaepernick.
Smith, who also joined the Chiefs following a trade earlier this year, told the team's official website: "I thought AJ did a great job when he came in. He was a great kid, came in hungry. It was a different situation there last year when he came in.
"That's a veteran team with a lot of pieces in place. So it wasn't his job from the jump. He came in and had to battle for it. I could say, I think it was a deeper roster there.
"For whatever reason, it didn't work out. He's got a ton of talent, a lot of speed, so I think the change is doing some good."
The 49ers received wide receiver Jon Baldwin from the Chiefs in exchange for the 2012 first-round draft pick.
