Pittsburgh Steelers News

Teven Jenkins is versatile and physical, but is he an option for the Steelers in Round 1?

For teams who are looking for an offensive tackle in the 2021 NFL Draft, Teven Jenkins might be a prospect to keep an eye on.

By Jeff.Hartman@BnGBlitz Apr 8, 2021, 11:00am EDT

/ new

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of many NFL organizations who could be looking at an offensive tackle in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. However, unlike the other franchises who are looking to add to their current offensive line depth chart, the Steelers possess the 24th overall pick.

Not really conducive to getting a top tier prospect, but after players like Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater, there are a lot of talented tackles who could be available to the Steelers at pick No. 24.

There is the chance the Steelers choose to take a tackle to bolster their offensive line depth in 2021, and if Oklahoma State tackle Teven Jenkins is available when the Steelers pick, is he an option as a first round talent?

I did some digging on Jenkins, and put together a brief synopsis of the kind of player he is, and will be when becoming a professional. Below you’ll see draft profile breakdowns, film room breakdowns and game film for you to enjoy.

Don’t listen to me, or anyone else, form your own opinion on Jenkins. I plan on doing this for other prospects as the draft approaches. If there is a specific player you’d like to see covered, simply let me know and I’ll be glad to put it together!

Let us know your thoughts on Jenkins in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the new league year, NFL Free Agency and the 2021 NFL Draft.

Draft Profiles

The Draft Network

Playing in 37 career games (35 starts) at Oklahoma State, Teven Jenkins experienced time at right guard, left tackle, and right tackle. With a bulk of his experience coming at right tackle, he blossomed during his final two seasons. Playing in the first eight games of the season, he elected to opt out after suffering what was reported as lower back issues. The 6-foot-6, 320-pound fifth-year senior offensive tackle is a top-heavy blocker that has experienced success in the team’s Air Raid offense. A quick setter that’s prone to take horizontal pass sets, he’s created a habit of establishing quick wins by striking his hands and controlling defenders. As a run blocker, he’s able to create considerable amounts of movement when able to gain momentum prior to engagement points. A well above average finisher, Jenkins is the type of offensive lineman that attempts to humiliate players in the opposite color jersey. The echo of the whistle doesn’t slow down his process and he continues on with his process until he wants to conclude. Jenkins’ athleticism and lack of overall range may create questions about his potential at offensive tackle and there will be some teams who grade him as a guard as a result. Jenkins will have a strong chance of being the first offensive lineman drafted from the program since Russell Okung (2010).

Ideal Role: Developmental offensive tackle that could eventually turn into a starter at tackle or guard.

Scheme Fit: Man/Gap/Power.

Fan Nation

Height: 6’5”
Weight: 317 lbs.
Class: Senior (red shirt)
School: Oklahoma State

Notables

Jenkins opted out of the final two Oklahoma State games to focus on the NFL Draft and the upcoming Senior Bowl. However, Jenkins ended up pulling out of the Senior Bowl event; it’s unclear if it’s injury-related.

Traits

He is a mean tackle with good overall size and bulk through his body but adequate length with solid overall athletic traits. Jenkins is patient as a blocker and has solid foot quickness to get into his vertical sets—he’s got enough fluidity, albeit not elite.

He plays with an excellent attitude and wants to run through opponents’ faces. He does a very good job getting his vice grips inside and exploding through his body while churning his legs on contact.

He sticks his control hand into the breastplate of defenders while using excellent grip strength to control. He positions himself well in the run game; frames blocks, plays with solid leverage and has enough athleticism to execute reach/stretch types of blocks.

Does a good job in deuce situations and transitions well—solid ability to locate defenders at the second level. He can lean a bit when moving laterally, which hinders his typically good balance.

He uses very good core strength to initiate contact and turn his body to create a seal against containing defenders on the line of scrimmage. He has a ton of power in his upper body and tosses defenders out of holes; he does a great job finishing blocks almost to an embarrassing level for the defender.

He has enough foot quickness to be a solid pass protector, but his length is somewhat an issue. Jenkins does a good job attacking the control arm of defenders in pass protection, limiting their space and making the longer defenders shorter. Jenkins shows good reactionary quickness and ability to handle attempted counter moves in this area.

His anchor ability is good; he sinks his lower body, plays with a firm base, has controlled speed to power moves through most of his career (Oklahoma’s Ronnie Perkins exposed this on a play in 2019).

Pewter Report

Jenkins is one of those prospects that changes your mind about it being “boring” to scout offensive linemen. I didn’t need any convincing, as it’s one of my favorite positions to study on tape, but Jenkins is a bar room brawler who tries to bring the pain on every rep. The root of football is grounded in physicality, and Jenkins embodies that mindset on every snap.

In his matchup against consensus top 50 edge defender Joseph Ossai from Texas, Jenkins was the dominant winner, putting Texas defenders on the ground all afternoon. He slammed Ossai in the play above, but even on plays where he wasn’t finishing like a mad man, Jenkins was getting the job done. The most undersold aspect of Jenkins game is explosiveness. He might not be the most tool-sy or athletic tackle in the class, but Jenkins checks the box in the areas that matter most for offensive linemen: explosive, short-area movements and body control.

...

By now you’ve probably seen the rumors that Jenkins’ arms might be under 33 inches long, but the offensive tackle told me on Friday that his arms measured 33 3/8 inches at the EXOS pro day on February 26. That’s a great sign for his hopes of remaining at tackle in the NFL, as sub-33 inches likely would have fallen short of every NFL team’s threshold for tackles.

Still, Jenkins’ lack of length is going to concern some teams at tackle, and there are occasions where it shows up on his college tape. He’s so good with his hands that I’d definitely still start him out at tackle in the NFL, but even if he’s good there, it’s very possible that Jenkins could be a Tier 1 guard in the NFL. His biggest concerns at tackle are going to be change-of-direction and length, and neither of those issues are as likely to be exposed on the interior.

Jenkins reminds me a lot of former Ravens guard Marshal Yanda, an excellent college tackle who would probably have been a very good tackle in the NFL, but was one of the best guards in the league for over a decade instead. I’m not saying Jenkins is quite on Yanda’s level, as the 2020 retiree will likely receive some Hall of Fame consideration, but Jenkins’ ceiling at guard is pretty high. He could be a special player there with some time to transition to a new spot.

However, there is more money, value and greater need at tackle in the NFL, and I would absolutely feel comfortable using a top-32 pick on Jenkins to play that position.