Green Bay Packers Land OT of the Future in NFL.com 2021 Mock Draft

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com recently released version 2.0 of his 2021 NFL Mock Draft. In this edition, he has the Green Bay Packers addressing a key need by selecting offensive tackle Teven Jenkins with the 29th overall pick.

As far as current tackles on the roster, the Packers have David Bakhtiari, Billy Turner, and Rick Wagner; however, there are some questions heading into the 2021 season. Two of which include, when will Bakhtiari be back from his ACL injury? And will Rick Wagner be on the roster, or will he end up being a cap casualty?

If Green Bay does decide to move on from Wagner for the $4.25 million in cap savings, then the Packers need a swing tackle for the 2020 season and more depth at the position. But even if Wagner is brought back, both he and Turner are not long-term solutions at right tackle, so finding the future of the position in this year’s draft should be on the to-do list.

Enter Teven Jenkins, who stands at 6’6″ — 320 pounds and is an experienced player out of Oklahoma State, having taken nearly 2,700 career snaps in 37 games, primarily at right tackle, but also at left tackle and right guard as well.

During his career, which has spanned four seasons, and for three of them, he has been the full-time starter, Jenkins has allowed just three sacks — including none since 2018 — and 37 pressures, with a majority coming in 2018, his first full season as a starter. In the last two seasons, Jenkins has been quite dominant, giving up no sacks and only 11 pressures.

As a run blocker, Jenkins’ final grade from Pro Football Focus ($) of 93.6 in 2020 was the third-highest among all offensive tackles. In 2019, he ranked 17th. And while PFF’s grades aren’t everything, they are effective at showing who is playing really well and who is really struggling–and Jenkins has been a very good run blocker.

For a closer look at Jenkins, here is what Jordan Reid of The Draft Network has to say in his pre-draft scouting report:

"“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.”"

“Attempts to humiliate players in the opposite color jersey.” Goodness! Who doesn’t want their offensive linemen to have that mentality?

The athletic testing is going to be important for Jenkins. As Reid mentions, there is some concern around that, and as we all know, the Green Bay Packers love to draft top athletes at their respective positions. Also, if Brian Gutekunst and company aren’t sure that he can work in space as a tackle at the NFL level and that a move to guard is what’s best, then he isn’t going to be on Green Bay’s board–or at least not in Round 1.

While cornerback is position 1A to address this offseason, for me, tackle is No. 2. We saw in the playoffs how important depth is, and at this moment, I don’t see Wagner or Turner being back for the 2022 season, meaning the Green Bay Packers need to find their future right tackle and potentially a Week 1 starter in 2021 if Wagner is gone and Bakhtiari is still out.