Most of the discussions around the Chicago Bears 2021 draft are centered on Justin Fields. That is not and should not be a surprise. He’s a quarterback. That is the most important position in the sport. One that has haunted this organization for literal decades. It is only natural he’d be the central focus. That being said, one cannot discount how important 2nd round pick Teven Jenkins is.
That was made clear for two reasons. First by the Bears moving up from pick #52 to #39 in order to select him. A move that cost their 3rd round selection to make happen. Then there was the somewhat surprising decision by the coaching staff to shift him to left tackle. This despite limited experience at that spot in college. He’d been almost exclusively a right tackle. So to cut Charles Leno Jr. and shift him over there feels like a calculated gamble.
Yet the Bears are just that confident in what Jenkins can do.
Is this confidence misplaced? Maybe not. It is already known that many in the draft community thought Jenkins was a 1st round talent. GM Ryan Pace said that is where the Bears had him rated. Now it appears more evidence emerged to validate this. A recent tweet courtesy of @BillyM_91 revealed that the Arizona Cardinals had Jenkins rated ahead of fellow tackle Christian Darrisaw. For those who might not remember, Darrisaw was drafted 23rd overall in the 1st round by Minnesota.
Despite their social's best effort to blur, it appears that the AZ Cardinals had a higher grade on Tevin Jenkins over Christian Darrisaw pic.twitter.com/WXDT2NEYkI
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) May 26, 2021
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This basically means another organization felt Jenkins should’ve gone earlier than Darrisaw. So the Bears essentially got a player who was better than the 23rd pick with the 39th pick. That is pretty good value. It further explains why Pace felt the need to move up when he did, understanding the Oklahoma State standout wasn’t going to last much longer.
Teven Jenkins isn’t just a one-trick pony
Most would make it seem like the big tackle was best known for a single thing. His absolutely monstrous run blocking. Something brought about by his mixture of power and nastiness. Yet when one actually watched the tape? Jenkins is much more. His explosive first step out of stance combined with quickness and nimble feet allow him to handle almost any rusher in pass protection.
It seems like the only reasons this isn’t talked about are his run blocking prowess and the stigma of being a right tackle. Something that wasn’t his fault. Teven Jenkins was actually supposed to play left tackle in 2020 for Oklahoma State. However, injuries compelled the coaching staff to shift him back to the right side in order to maintain line stability. Like the good teammate he is, Jenkins didn’t complain. He just played really well.
The Bears trust their evaluations on him.
They believe he is left tackle material. Offensive line coach Juan Castillo has done this for a long, long time. It might be best to trust his word on this. He was the same one who basically rescued the line from ruin last season with his post-bye adjustments. If he thinks Jenkins has a bright future on the left side, then let the plan unfold.