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2021 NFL draft: Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins is a mauler at right tackle (or guard?)

Leading up to the 2021 NFL draft, which starts April 29, Yahoo Sports will count down our top 100 overall prospects. We’ll count them down in groups of five for Nos. 100-51, followed by more in-depth reports on our top 50 players, with help from our scouting assistant, Liam Blutman. We reserve the right to make changes to players’ grades and evaluations based on injury updates, pro-day workouts or late-arriving information from NFL teams.

Other prospect rankings: Nos. 100-96 | 95-91 | 90-86 | 85-81 | 80-76 | 75-71 | 70-66 | 65-61 | 60-56 | 55-51 | 50. OT Liam Eichenberg | 49. WR Terrace Marshall Jr. | 48. LB Chazz Surratt | 47. EDGE Joe Tryon | 46. OT-OG Alex Leatherwood | 45. CB Asante Samuel Jr. | 44. DL Levi Onwuzurike | 43. LB Jabril Cox | 42. DT Daviyon Nixon | 41. EDGE Ronnie Perkins | 40. LB Nick Bolton | 39. CB Ifeatu Melifonwu | 38. WR Elijah Moore | 37. OT Jalen Mayfield | 36. EDGE Carlos Basham Jr. | 35. CB Elijah Molden | 34. RB Travis Etienne | 33. WR Kadarius Toney | 32. EDGE Jayson Oweh | 31. LB Zaven Collins | 30. DT Christian Barmore | 29. QB Mac Jones | 28. CB Caleb Farley | 27. RB Javonte Williams | 26. C-OG Landon Dickerson | 25. S Trevon Moehrig | 24. CB Greg Newsome II | 23. WR Rashod Bateman | 22. EDGE Greg Rousseau | 21. OT Christian Darrisaw | 20. RB Najee Harris | 19. LB-S Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | 18. EDGE Jaelan Phillips | 17. OT Teven Jenkins | 16. EDGE Kwity Paye | 15. CB Jaycee Horn | 14. OT-OG Rashawn Slater | 13. OG-OT Alijah Vera-Tucker | 12. WR DeVonta Smith | 11. EDGE Azeez Ojulari | 10. CB Patrick Surtain II | 9. OT Penei Sewell | 8. QB Zach Wilson | 7. LB Micah Parsons | 6. QB Trey Lance | 5. WR Jaylen Waddle | 4. QB Justin Fields | 3. WR Ja'Marr Chase | 2. TE Kyle Pitts | 1. QB Trevor Lawrence

Here's how we use our prospect grades for the 2021 NFL draft. (Albert Corona/Yahoo Sports)
Here's how we use our prospect grades for the 2021 NFL draft. (Albert Corona/Yahoo Sports)

17. Oklahoma State OT Teven Jenkins

6-foot-6, 317 pounds

Yahoo Sports draft grade: 6.08 — possible immediate starter

TL;DR scouting report: Mauling, road-grading right tackle (or guard) who could have a few hiccups in early pass pro

Games watched: Tulsa (2020), Texas (2020), Iowa State (2020), Oklahoma (2020)

The skinny: A 3-star Rivals recruit, Jenkins picked the Cowboys and redshirted in 2016. In 2017, he saw action in 12 games total with three starts — once at right tackle, twice at right guard. Jenkins started 13 games in 2018 — 10 at right tackle, three at left tackle — and was named honorable mention all-Big 12. In 2019, he started 12 games — nine at right tackle, three at left tackle — and was named OSU’s co-Most Outstanding Offensive Player (shared with Tylan Wallace) and honorable mention all-conference. He started the first seven games of 2020 — six at right tackle, one at left tackle — and earning first-team all-conference before opting out for the remainder of the season while dealing with a hip injury. Jenkins committed to play in the 2021 Senior Bowl before opting out.

Upside: Broad-framed man with good mass. Solid wingspan (81 inches) with huge shoulders and traps. Carries his weight well and theoretically could add even more strength. Outstanding power — racked out 36 reps on the bench press. Thick lower trunk with good lower-body strength.

Road grader in the run game — this is where his play style really stands out. Nasty mauler who loves working downhill. Generates power easily and naturally. Uses his hands to deliver serious pop on impact. Drives his legs on contact and keeps them churning. Aggressive, competitive finisher — loves to deliver knockout blows on the move.

Surprisingly agile on outside-zone runs — able to reach and seal. Gets out of his snap quickly and accelerates well. Can climb to the second level effectively. Tested better athletically at his pro day than expected — solid to very strong showings in the vertical (32 1/2 inches) and broad jumps (106 inches), 40-yard dash (4.99 seconds), short shuttle (4.68 seconds) and 3-cone drill (7.69 seconds).

Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins could be a first-round pick. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)
Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins could be a first-round pick. (AP Photo/Brody Schmidt)

Clean pass-rush fundamentals. Good kick slide with nice balance. Keeps a solid base underneath him. Hands are ready to fire — good timing on his punches, too. Can reset and land counterblows. Once he gets his hands on you, the rep is likely over.

Short setter with good peripheral vision to spot rush trouble. Appears to think quickly on his feet. Dominated Texas’ Joseph Ossai, a possible top-50 pick.

Strong experience. Redshirt senior with starting experience at three positions — left and right tackle and right guard — and played every spot in games except for center. Started games at both left and right tackle each of the past three seasons. Total of 35 college starts and more than 2,500 total snaps.

Downside: Short arms (33 1/2 inches) and very small hands (9 1/2 inches) for an offensive tackle. Some teams will view him as more of a guard. Room to carry more mass.

Despite respectable testing numbers, will never be considered an elite athlete for the position. Can’t always handle cross-face counters quickly enough. A bit heavy-footed at times.

Can lose ideal posture and positioning vs. speedier rushers — doesn’t easily get enough depth in his drops. Will waist-bend when stressed. Got pancaked on a long-arm move from Oklahoma’s Ronnie Perkins, giving up 60-plus pounds. Lost a few battles at the top of the arc after initial stalemate or room to push rushers wide of the pocket.

Can get a little wild in his run blocking occasionally — abandons technique in favor of unchecked power. Plays over his skis and misses his marks. Overaggressive with desire to punish. Fails to maintain contact and finish some blocks.

Will turn 24 years old at the conclusion of his rookie season. Committed 14 penalties the past three seasons, including four in seven games as a redshirt senior. Hip injury is something to monitor.

Best-suited destination: Jenkins profiled as a Day 1 starting right tackle or guard who could be tried at left tackle if needed. He’s got a fair number of supporters among OL coaches and could be an early tone-setter in the run game. Jenkins’ pass-protection ability has a good ceiling, but he might require some early help to get his feet underneath him.

Did you know: Would you believe that it’s been 11 years since Oklahoma State had an offensive lineman drafted? It’s true — the last one was Russell Okung, who went No. 6 overall in 2010. Jenkins will be the next and could be only OSU’s third first-rounder ever (the other was John Ward by the Minnesota Vikings in 1970).

Player comp: Braden Smith

Expected draft range: Top-40 pick

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