From one perspective, the Green Bay Packers are in good shape at offensive tackle. With All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari and right tackle Billy Turner, Green Bay has one of the better duos in the NFL. However, Bakhtiari is coming off a torn ACL and might not be ready for Week 1 and there is no depth whatsoever with Rick Wagner and Jared Veldheer pondering retirement while in free agency. Remember, last year’s No. 3 tackle, Wagner, played almost 60 percent of the offensive snaps, so there is a need.
Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins is our No. 4-ranked tackle.
Teven Jenkins will be a reporter’s best friend with his colorful vocabulary and a defender’s worst nightmare with his physical style.
Jenkins is a big blocker with bad intentions. When the coaching staff told him to be more aggressive entering the 2020 season, he obliged.
“Coming into this year,” Jenkins said at Oklahoma State’s pro day, “I had a talk with my O-line coach and my strength coach telling me if I was going to be the guy this year, I’d have to be a mother****** on the field, be a dickhead, be more aggressive than I ever was, and I took that personally. Coming into this year, it definitely paid off for myself with what I’ve done on the field and put on film. It’s a big part of who I am. I do believe I’m the best finisher in this draft and that does set me apart from any other O-lineman.”
He was a finisher in helping running back Chuba Hubbard rush for 2,094 yards in 2019. And he was a finisher in not allowing a sack the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Pass setting doesn’t have to be passive. It can be as aggressive as you want,” he said. “You can attack the mother****** any time you want. It’s about how you want to go at it, how you want to handle yourself.”
Jenkins dominated his pro day. At 6-foot-6 and 317 pounds, he broke 5.0 seconds in the 40-yard dash and put up 36 reps on the bench press.
It was quite the climb for the native of Topeka, Kan., who couldn’t even break the top 1,000 in his recruiting class. He had six FBS offers – including from Kansas – but felt at home at Oklahoma State. As a freshman, he played every offensive line position other than center.
“I’ve played at four (positions) and actually five if you count tight end,” Jenkins told CJOnline at the time. “I played tight end a little bit for a couple of games. I don’t have a problem playing anywhere, and wherever I’m needed I feel like I can perform well enough to do it.”
He mostly settled into right tackle. Of his 32 starts his final three seasons, 25 were at right tackle and seven were at left tackle.
“Teven is an interesting young man,” OSU coach Mike Gundy said at the start of the 2020 season. “He doesn’t even know how good he is, and he doesn’t know how much he’s worth, if you just want me to call it like it is. … I’ve actually told him several times over the last couple years, I was serious but somewhat joking with him in the weight room when there would be a bunch of guys working, and I said, ‘You know, Teven, can you name the one person in this weight room that’s worth $40 million?’. And he looks at me like I’m trying to give him a haircut or something, and he says, ‘No.’ And I said, ‘You, if you decide to work really hard.’”
Measureables: 6-foot-5 7/8, 317 pounds, 33 1/2-inch arms. 4.99 40, 4.68 shuttle, 36 bench-press reps.
Stats and accolades: According to Pro Football Focus, Jenkins allowed zero sacks and four total pressures out of 211 pass-protecting snaps. He didn’t allow any sacks in 412 snaps in 2019, either. Sports Info Solutions charged him with one sack and just three blown blocks (two passes, one run). Runs to his gap averaged an impressive 2.6 yards before contact. He was flagged twice in his career for holding (once in 2020).
NFL Draft Bible says: Jenkins has an intriguing level of athletic traits to transition smoothly to what can be a difficult ascension to the next level. He boasts a powerfully well-put frame that is well proportioned throughout, hitting all the desired size thresholds. Jenkins keeps his pads square, locking into his power while also staying balanced. In the run game, Jenkins takes some great angles of attack. With suitable hand placement, he has the lower-body power to consistently dig and drive players out of the hole. He possesses active feet, routinely finishing opposing defenders on the ground. Jenkins is an easy mover to the second level and in space, showcasing to be a plus athlete for the position. He has some easy mirror ability as a pass protector.
About This Series
Packer Central is introducing you to the top prospects, both on and off the field, in this year’s NFL Draft. The series is starting with the top five at each position, then will add additional players as the draft approaches, with a focus on positions of need.
OT2: Northwestern Rashawn Slater
OT3: Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw
OT4: Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins
OT5: Coming up
OG4: Alabama’s Alex Leatherwood
OC1: Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey
OC2: UW-Whitewater’s Quinn Meinerz
OC4: Alabama’s Landon Dickerson
OC5: Pittsburgh’s Jimmy Morrissey
WR4: Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman
RB3: North Carolina’s Javonte Williams
RB4: Memphis’ Kenneth Gainwell
RB5: North Carolina’s Michael Carter
QB1: Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence
QB2: Ohio State’s Justin Fields
