Getty Bears rookie offensive lineman Teven Jenkins has been slapped with a dreaded label.
The Chicago Bears had one of the best draft classes in franchise history this year — if not the best — but that hasn’t stopped their second-round pick from getting slapped with a label no player wants to be hit with.
Many applauded the Bears when they moved up in the draft to nab offensive tackle Teven Jenkins in the second round (39th overall). Chicago has had a wildly inconsistent offensive line over the last several years, and adding Jenkins along with fellow o-lineman Larry Borom in the draft this year was a great first step in the long-term protection of the team’s top asset in quarterback Justin Fields.
One analyst isn’t convinced Jenkins is the answer, however. Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report predicts Jenkins will be the Bears’ “biggest bust” of the upcoming season. Noting he defined a bust as a player who will very likely perform “well below expectations … based on the possibility of them hindering their respective teams,” Sobleski has some questions about how well Jenkins will be able to adjust to the NFL.
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Position Switch Going to Be Huge for Jenkins
Jenkins predominantly played right tackle in college at Oklahoma State, but the Bears are planning to move him over to left tackle after releasing durable LT Charles Leno Jr. earlier this offseason. It’s this shift in positions that has Sobleski worried. Here’s why:
General manager Ryan Pace made the best decision of the entire event when he worked a trade to acquire Ohio State’s Justin Fields. The Bears front office then doubled down on its quarterback investment by drafting one of the class’ top offensive tackle prospects, Teven Jenkins, at No. 39 overall. Proper protection should be the utmost priority once a first-round signal-caller is brought into the mix, and Jenkins was easily the best pure right tackle available. Then, something funny happened. The Bears chose to release blindside stalwart Charles Leno Jr. and move Jenkins from right to left tackle. The rookie did start a handful of games at left tackle for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. However, last season, the Cleveland Browns’ Jedrick Wills Jr. made the same position switch. He performed well considering the circumstances, but ultimately, he still had some issues, and others in the class became more touted. Don’t be surprised if the same happens with Jenkins.
It’s far too early to judge the pro career of someone who has yet to see the field, but getting dubbed a bust is not something any player wants to see attached to his or her name. Perhaps Jenkins will use it as bulletin board material.
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Jenkins is Motivated & Ready to Show What He Can Do
Jenkins, who lost his mother back in 2006, was raised by a single father. To honor his mom, the young o-lineman has a pink breast cancer awareness tattoo on his arm. The rookie says he feels a sense of motivation every time he looks at it.
“That’s that’s one thing that’s always going to be pushing and motivating me every day, just looking at my arm,” Jenkins said in the team’s “Meet the Rookies” docuseries. “Just looking at her and showing her that I can do whatever needs to be done because of what she’s been through. And that’s how I really want to attack every week, every day, every practice, every snap. That’s really how I want to play for the rest of my career.”
The 23-year-old o-lineman is the team’s predicted starter on the left side this year, so he’ll have the perfect opportunity to prove his worth while silencing the doubters.