The Chicago Bears are never short on surprises come draft week. GM Ryan Pace has established his reputation at this point. He is never a man to sit idle. When he senses a player that he deems could be special? He’s going to move up to get them. In the 1st round, he handed three extra picks over to New York to go from #20 to #11 for Justin Fields. Then he hatched another surprise by jumping from #52 to #39 for Teven Jenkins.
Few were more surprised by that second one than longtime ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. During the live broadcast, the pick was announced. After host Mike Greenberg applauded the choice, Kiper took his turn to speak. He didn’t waste any time stating his genuine shock that Jenkins hadn’t gone in the 1st round. In fact, he wouldn’t have blinked if the Bears had taken him at their original spot of #20. So to get him at #39?
He wasn’t the only one either.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com tagged him as a 1st round prospect as well. The mix of raw power and solid athleticism makes Jenkins a straight headache for defensive linemen to tangle with. He’ll wall you off from the quarterback one play and then blow you off the ball in the run game. People talk about his limited arm length and all that. Facts are facts. He had three years to show glaring weaknesses in his game. They never surfaced.
Rule #1 when building around a potential franchise quarterback? Protect him. Jenkins is the sort of talent who can hold down the end of an offensive line for 10 years. Bears fans might be reminded of 1980s legend Keith Van Horne. Big, physical, and nasty. All things that are tailor-made for the city of Chicago.
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