10 Most Important Bears of 2021: #4 Teven Jenkins

I was all-in on Oklahoma State’s Teven Jenkins as a draft prospect for the Chicago Bears in the first round this offseason. With the Bears set to pick at 20th overall there was a really good chance Jenkins was going to be there, but then Justin Fields started slipping, and a perfect draft storm revealed itself, so the Bears pounced.

I was just as excited as most Bears fans when they pulled the trigger for Fields, but then as the players started falling off the board I began to wonder if Jenkins would be an option for them in the second round. A wide out came off the board earlier than I figured he would, a couple running backs were picked, a run on edge defenders happened, and then Jenkins fell to day two.

Chicago didn’t wait around to see if Jenkins would fall to them at 52, and they made their second trade up in as many days — to 39th overall — for a player they never thought they’d be in position to draft.

Jenkins spent most of his time at Oklahoma State playing right tackle, but the Bears didn’t waste any time in getting him slotted in on their left side when they released six year starter Charles Leno Jr.

With Leno out of the picture Jenkins will protect the blind side of starting quarterback Andy Dalton, and eventually he’ll be responsible for the blind side of his draftmate Justin Fields.

That’s a lot of pressure for the 23-year old rookie, but he’s been working on the left side since he opted out of the remainder of his college season last year. He’ll make some mistakes, that’s just a given considering the outstanding edge rushers that are on the Bears 2021 schedule, but Jenkins has the work ethic and demeanor to push through and learn from any adversity he may face.