Why rookie Tevin Jenkins will struggle as the Bears’ left tackle

When the Bears traded up with the Giants to select Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick, the team’s hope was to break a historic quarterback curse that has prevented the selection and development of a top-tier player at the most important position since the existence of Sid Luckman. And when your last all-time quarterback last had a good season in 1946… well, that’s epic. Fields has every attribute to be That Guy to a degree the Bears have never had before, but like every other quarterback at any level, he’s going to need protection.

Which made Monday’s news interesting. The Bears released Charles Leno, their starting left tackle since 2015, and per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the plan is to take rookie tackle Tevin Jenkins and play him on Fields’ blind side. Throughout his collegiate career, Jenkins, who the Bears took with the 39th overall pick in the second round, lined up at left tackle on exactly 482 of his 2,672 snaps. Exactly 32 of those left tackle came in 2020, all against Tulsa.

In my evaluation of Jenkins, who I projected as an interior offensive lineman at the NFL level, I noted that while he brings a formidable competitive demeanor and ability to physically overwhelm opponents, he would have some serious work to do as an outside protector of any stripe.

As a pass-protector on the edge, Jenkins has some work to do. Lunges precipitously when he gets beaten by speed around the arc, and while he’s able to recover at times because of his size and aggression, this could be a major issue in the NFL against more advanced speed-rushers. Doesn’t mirror well at all, and is susceptible to rushers slipping off from side to side as a result. Has the quickness to get to the second level in the timing of the down, but it’s not always clear what he’s doing when he gets there — has as many whiffs as hits in space. At times, becomes so fixated on sheer physical dominance that he’ll lose control of the rep. Short arms show up when he’s late with his punch, and defenders can get inside his personal space.

You have to go back to 2019 if you want to see Jenkins taking serious snaps at left tackle — he played both left and right tackle against Texas in Week 4 and against Iowa State in Week 9, and against Texas Tech in Week 6 and against Baylor in Week 8, he was the only left tackle, with over 90 snaps in each game (Hello, Big 12).

The most intriguing and telling matchup to watch when evaluating Tevin Jenkins, Left Tackle, is the Baylor game, where he frequently went up against James Lynch. Lynch was the 2019 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in a season where he put up 13.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, 41 quarterback hurries, and 37 stops. That got Lynch taken by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, where he put up one sack in 59 snaps as a rookie. So, this was Pro vs. Pro to a degree.

What you like about Jenkins (No. 73) in this game is what you like about him everywhere else — he looks for work as a straight-ahead and forward-moving blocker. This is where he’s at his most confident, and where his attributes really come into play. Baylor safety JT Woods can’t like Jenkins bearing down on him like this as a pulling tackle.

And if you want a left tackle who can absolutely demolish people in the run game… well, check out Jenkins sending his opponent to the mat with a quickness on this Chuba Hubbard run. Jenkins blocks angry when he’s latched on and pushing forward, and this is one of multiple examples in every game of his you watch. Dude is a finisher when he’s doing this.

My pro comp for Tevin Jenkins (#73) as a run-blocker is the John Deere 1050K dozer. Which, according to its manufacturer, weighs 95,000 pounds and allows for pushing through turns without losing material. pic.twitter.com/QCi4aYkVKg

— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) May 4, 2021

Where things get complicated is when Jenkins has to do more than latch on and kick butt. On this long run, Lynch (No. 93) beats Jenkins to the punch and shove him aside. Yes, Lynch also whiffs the tackle, but that’s a separate point. Jenkins is trying to push here, but he’s not playing from a solid base, which leaves him open to power moves.

And this reaction to Lynch’s inside counter isn’t going to cut it against NFL ends. Here, I’m not sure whether Jenkins’ delayed reaction is an awareness/technique issue, or a reaction to tackle Bravvion Roy’s outside game, Regardless, Jenkins is going to see this stuff all the time at the next level, and he can’t get lost in it.

And this rep displays how Jenkins tends to lose control when trying to control the arc — something he’ll have to do much better as an NFL left tackle. As powerful as he is, and as effective a pass-blocker as he can be, Jenkins needs a lot of coaching when it comes to keeping his feet under him, avoiding the dreaded lunge, and playing with efficient movement to and through the pocket. He has the size and strength to recover to a point here, which speaks well to his potential, but this is where I run into trouble when projecting him as a left tackle prospect.

This is not to say that Jenkins is hopeless as a left tackle prospect; more that by pushing him to that position before he might be ready for the challenges specific to the position, the Bears could be in for a self-imposed tough go when it comes to protecting Justin Fields’ blind side.