Chicago Bears trade up in Round 2 for tackle Teven Jenkins
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — In a trading mood for a second straight night, the Chicago Bears moved up in the second round of the NFL draft Friday to take Oklahoma State right tackle Teven Jenkins with the 39th overall pick.
The Bears traded up to select quarterback Justin Fields in the first round and this time moved up with Carolina to pick one of the nation’s higher-rated run blockers, a tackle known for edgy play.
”My edge to me is about being able to finish anybody in the dirt,” Jenkins said. ”I don’t care who you are lining up against me, I don’t care what you earn against me, I don’t care who you are, I’m going to attack you.
”Basically, I want to impose my will against another man and use that force against him until he gets worn out and tired. And I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to do that 24/7 and I’m going to do that all game.”
General manager Ryan Pace welcomed the chance to bring in a player who talks tough.
“Some guys talk that way but they don’t play that way,” Pace said. “He definitely plays that way.”
To get the 6-foot-6, 317-pound Jenkins, the Bears traded away their second-round pick at No. 52, the 83rd pick in Round 3 and their first pick in the sixth round (No. 204) while obtaining Carolina’s round two pick and a fifth-round slot (No. 151).
The move fills a real need because the Bears did not retain free agent right tackle Bobby Massie. They used right guard Germain Ifedi at the position the final six weeks after Massie suffered a season-ending knee injury.
They have Ifedi, Alex Bars and Elijah Wilkinson as potential right tackles besides Jenkins.
It’s a fit for Jenkins in an organization with a long tradition of running the ball, even if the trend now with Matt Nagy as coach and Fields coming aboard is passing more.
”They’re just smash-mouth type people,” Jenkins said. ”They’re very aggressive. I have a lot of words that aren’t appropriate for camera use, I would say. I like to have the awareness of people around me and the people I’m with right now, so let’s just leave it at how aggressive they are.”
Jenkins started 35 games for Oklahoma State over four years, and not all at right tackle. He had 26 starts at right tackle and seven at left tackle. He also started twice at right guard as a redshirt freshman.
Jenkins made it clear he is unhappy about dropping in the draft and will use this as inspiration.
”I went to sleep with the mindset that everybody who passed on me, 32 picks, I’m going to be able to make sure everybody rues that day they didn’t pick me,” he said.
DEJA VU
The second trade in two days sets up a situation similar to last year for Pace, when he drafted in Round 2 and then had to wait all the way until Round 5 to pick again. Even facing this gap in the draft, Pace felt the need to trade up to take Jenkins. He pointed out eight of the players drafted from picks 37 through 53 were offensive linemen.
“Really felt like there would be a run on offensive linemen in that area of the draft,” Pace said.
TACKLE NEGLECT
This was the earliest Pace has ever drafted a tackle. In his first six drafts, he hadn’t taken one higher than Round 6. Overall, it’s the earliest tackle selection by the Bears since Gabe Carimi was selected with the 29th pick in 2011
UP NEXT
When they Bears pick again on Saturday, they will have a fifth-round pick (151) and three sixth-round picks (208, 221 and 228).
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