NAME: Teven Jenkins
POSITION: Offensive Tackle
SCHOOL: Oklahoma State
HEIGHT: 6’6”
WEIGHT: 320 pounds
CAREER BACKGROUND
Born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, Teven Jenkins was a three sport athlete at Topeka High School. Other than football, he also starred in baseball and basketball. He earned All-State honors in his junior and senior seasons there. Coming out of high school, Jenkins was rated as a three-star recruit. He ultimately committed to Oklahoma State for college football over schools like Kansas State, Nebraska, Missouri and Louisville.
Jenkins redshirted in 2016 during his freshman season. The following season, he made appearances in 12 total games, including three starts. The Cowboys named him starting right tackle going into his redshirt sophomore season of 2018. Jenkins remained as the starter for a long while, which remained the same in 2020. He proved he could dominate at other positions on the offensive line as well. Due to injuries with other players, Jenkins was forced to move to left tackle for a few games across a couple of seasons. He received school awards like the Barry Sanders Award in 2018 and the Thurman Thomas Award in 2019. Finally in 2020, Jenkins earned first team All-Big 12 honors.
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SCOUTING REPORT
Positives
Football IQ
Jenkins displays a great plan of attack when going after opponents. You can see him react well to twists or stunts. Meanwhile, he mixes patience with an ability to transition quickly, whether that is with his hands, feet or body. Jenkins can force opponents into a corner. By displacing them off their base, opponents struggle with deciding what to do next. If they handfight, attempt to overpower, or run around him, Jenkins has an answer for anything. Elsewhere, not very many blockers finish like he does. You see defenders attempt to pursuit to the outside, and Jenkins will find them and bury them in the dirt. He finishes with clear authority.
Hand Technique
Despite heavy hands, Jenkins executes to make his strike zone minimal and compact. He rarely, if ever, lets his hands become too wide or too high on opponents. Jenkins usually transitions quickly from one defender to another. This helps on run blocking attempts for his offense, as he reaches the second level defender, before the defensive lineman has a chance to recover. With his overall core strength, Jenkins opponents often struggle with disengaging before it is too late. He responds well to how defenders are trying to bait him into fakes or counters. Jenkins understands how to use his leverage in those instances. As a result, opponents tend to run out of time to make a counter move quick enough.
Athleticism
By no means is Jenkins elite in this area. But, not many offensive tackles can move as smoothly as he does with a dense frame. His lateral mobility grew to be quite impressive, as his career matured. Jenkins gains speed and a head of steam swiftly when moving to the second level. His feet can become a bit clunky at times. Though, Jenkins recovers quickly and can change direction sufficiently. This is true for when he is forced to move inside or outside with his blocks. Moreover, Jenkins can begin to wear down opponents at a rapid pace by keeping his feet active.
Negatives
Length
Jenkins does not have a large wingspan at his disposal. Occasionally, he can start to reach or overextended himself. This blocker is one who can play in a phone booth. However, his eagerness can be as much of a detriment as it is a positive. There are plays on tape, where Jenkins lost control of his arms and had to make difficult decisions with how to attack opponents. He also had reps where he fell to the ground or lost his balance when attempting to reach out too far. Overall, this can become a bigger issue against speedier pass rushers off of the edge.
Body Control
We touched on a bit of this already in the last paragraph. Simply, Jenkins can become almost too aggressive with his movement skills. The more patient defenders understand how to wait him out. Or, they will fake him into going low before they jump around him. Jenkins can overrun opponents when focusing on having to reach a certain area up the field. When this occurs, defenders have proven that they can turn him sideways. There can be the worry about penalties in those instances. The more notable ones for him, were illegal man downfield calls. Additionally, the angles he uses can become too steep if he is not careful.
Footwork In Pass Sets
There are times where Jenkins shows a series of false steps. The inconsistencies there can become a theme that coaches would rather not have all at once. On the other hand, there are times when Jenkins shows something of an involuntary movement when shuffling sideways. It may not always be a negative. But, one would like to see him become more controlled. This could help in him retaining his balance more often. Defenders showed they could push him off of his base, if Jenkins widened his feet. This takes away his mammoth core strength. Consequently, Jenkins will have to learn how to keep his feet forward and under him, instead of bringing that back foot too far behind him.
Chiefs Fit
The Kansas City Chiefs could stand to replace both offensive tackle spots. If not immediately, it will have to be done soon. Teven Jenkins is still in need of significant time and development to become more refined. Nonetheless, his current body of work presents plenty of positives. He can lead faster playmakers like Kansas City’s out in space. Or, Jenkins can control both his inside or outside gap in the run and pass game. The Chiefs would be adding a strong combination of instincts and attitude with him in the blocking unit. Surely, that is something quarterback Patrick Mahomes would greatly appreciate in front of him.
Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs draft prospect profiles throughout the winter and spring. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.
– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.
