WCG takes Teven Jenkins for the Bears in the SB Nation Writer Mock Draft

I’ve missed doing the annual SB Nation Writer mock drafts since the Chicago Bears haven’t had a first round pick since 2018, but now that the Khalil Mack trade is complete I’m back giving my two-cents on what I think the Bears will do.

This year’s mock saw five quarterbacks all go before the Bears came on the clock at 20th overall, and while I trading up is a real possibility for Ryan Pace on April 29, in this exercise we all stayed put and picked where we were.

I went with the best offensive lineman still on the board, Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins, and here’s my reasoning for that pick.

The term plug-and-play is thrown around quite a bit around draft time, but in the case of Jenkins, it’s definitely true. The Bears wouldn’t just hand him the right tackle job, as they did recently re-sign Germain Ifedi to man that spot, but if there’s a full offseason program this year there’s no reason a talent like Jenkins shouldn’t be able to beat Ifedi out. Some scouts worry about his arm length, but he uses his hands with such ferocity that I have no concerns about him at tackle.

He’s an experienced, athletic, and powerful blocker who plays with a mean streak, and when asked about the type of player NFL teams would be getting if they drafted him, he said he’s a “tough, physical, nasty motherf—er.” That sounds like a Bear to me.

That vulgar and spot-on quote in that last paragraph is what Jenkins told our Lead Draft Analyst Jacob Infante when Jacob spoke with him at Oklahoma State’s virtual pro day.

Jacob also handled the write-up at SB Nation for this selection, so for all of what he had to say about my pick be sure to check it out right here.

“Jenkins is a nasty blocker who plays with a mean streak and does a great job of generating power in his lower half,” Infante wrote. “He packs a mean punch at the point of attack, and his pure grip strength allows him to physically overwhelm defenders and seal them off in the run game.”

Jenkins is the 5th offensive lineman off this writer mock draft board, and he’s Jacob’s 27th overall player on his big board.

Most mocks I’ve looked at seem to line up for the Bears to address some needs without reaching, and while there’s a good handful of players I could realistically see Pace targeting, Jenkins would be my favorite selection.

“If there’s one drawback in Jenkins’ game, it’s a fairly stiff lower body,” Infante wrote at SB Nation. “Though his numbers at his Pro Day were pretty impressive, he can get beat with pure speed on the outside rush from time to time. He can struggle with flipping his hips and working across his body to take on quicker-moving edge rushers, and his average lateral burst could limit his upside when compared to less polished, yet more athletic tackle prospects.”

He’d still have some growing pains, as most rookies do, but there’s just so much to like when watching his tape.

I’ve been doing these SB Nation writer mocks since 2016 when I stepped in to make the pick in the second round for the Bears, and my track record isn’t too shabby. That year I went with running back Derrick Henry in the 2nd, who has nearly 6,000 rushing yards in his five years with the Titans. In 2017 I knew the Bears were going quarterback, despite the Mike Glennon signing, and I thought Deshaun Watson made the most sense with the Bears’ third overall pick. In 2018 the Bears took linebacker Roquan Smith in the real draft and I grabbed linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in the writer mock.

One of these years the real pick will line up with my mocked pick, and (fingers crossed) I’d like it to be the guy with the potential to be a 10+ year starter on Chicago’s o-line, Teven Jenkins.

Be sure to check out the full mock up to this point and let us know if Jenkins would be your choice at 20 for the Bears.