This series was created a number of years ago in response to questions about why certain well-known prospects went unselected in NFL drafts. For these articles, I reach out to sources with NFL teams to find out why their organizations passed on drafting a given player, and/or, what were the reasons for other teams to pass on that prospect. The positive response to “Why Undrafted” and questions from readers about why prospects were drafted lower than the media expectations led us to create the parallel series “Why the Slide?”
Both series are back this year. Feel free to email me requests for Why the Slide? and Why Undrafted? at [email protected]. I can’t promise to get to all of them, but I will do my best and definitely will respond to the email.
During a lot of the leadup to the 2021 NFL Draft, Oklahoma State right tackle Teven Jenkins was consistently projected to be a first-round pick by the media. He seemed like more of a second-rounder to me, which was also the opinion if some area scouts who wrote reports on Jenkins. I had Jenkins in the second round of my mock draft, but shortly before the 2021 NFL Draft kicked off, I moved him into the first round because he had worked out well at Oklahoma State’s pro day and enough team sources thought he had a real shot at going on the opening night of the draft. Thus, many in the media and some team staffers were surprised when Jenkins slipped to the second round.
Team sources told WalterFootball.com that Jenkins slid to the second round for a few reasons. Primarily, teams thought, while Jenkins has a good skill set, he is a right tackle only and not a candidate to move to the left side. Some felt he would be better playing guard. Those position questions led to some second-round grades. Some team sources were worried that Jenkins has all the physical tools, but carries some weakness between the ears and they have concerns about him quitting on his. Those things combined to lead to him falling to Friday night of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Chicago Bears traded up with the Carolina Panthers to take Jenkins in the second round, and Chicago is a mixed landing spot for him. On the positive side, Jenkins looks like an immediate starter for the Bears, as they need new starters immediately. The Bears, though, are going to be bucking the thoughts of the scouting community by moving Jenkins to left tackle. That will make his job harder as a rookie, plus he will see the best edge rusher who other teams have to offer on a weekly basis. That could easily lead to some struggles for Jenkins as a rookie, and it will be interesting to see how he responds to them. With the Bears, Jenkins will get every opportunity to play. It will be up to their coaches to develop him well, and Jenkins will have to work hard and stay resilient to pan out in the NFL.
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