It didn’t take long for Green Bay Packers guard Eltgon Jenkins to gain national recognition as one of the NFL’s best young guards.
Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire ranked Jenkins, the Packers’ second-round pick in 2019, as the NFL’s 10th best guard, comparing his play as a rookie to that of a “multi-year veteran.”
From Farrar: “All Jenkins had to do in his rookie season was to come from Mississippi State to a new and complicated Packers offense under new head coach and play-caller Matt LaFleur, with the added pressure of protecting Aaron Rodgers and integrating himself into an intricate running game. No big deal, right? Not for Jenkins, apparently.”
The 44th overall pick in 2019, Jenkins took over as the starter at left guard in Week 3 and held the job for the Packers’ next 16 games, including the postseason. According to Pro Football Focus, Jenkins didn’t allow a sack and was credited with just one quarterback hit allowed, although he did have eight accepted penalties. By ESPN’s pass-blocking win rate, Jenkins finished as the eighth-best guard. He was named to the PWFA’s All-Rookie team.
A good athlete who can anchor against power and move to mirror quickness, Jenkins isn’t overmatched against any type of interior defender. And he proved to be an effective point of attack and second-level blocker for the Packers’ zone run game, although improvement in run blocking will be key for him taking another step in his second season.
All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who played right next to the rookie in 2019, believes Jenkins could be special.
“He’s very naturally gifted. I think the thing that separates him is his instincts as a football player,” Bakhtiari said during a conference call in June. “When you can’t really explain why you’re doing certain stuff but you’re doing it, as someone who can relate to that earlier on in my career, that’s extremely effective. When you’re just playing fast and answering questions and you don’t really know why you’re doing it, that’s awesome because you’re not even thinking about it.”
Packers Wire ranked Jenkins as the team’s 10th best player entering the 2020 season.
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