The views and opinions expressed in this article do not reflect the opinion of the team.
Ron Rivera hit a proverbial home run with his first draft pick as the head coach of the Washington Football Team.
Chase Young, selected second overall, exceeded expectations by making the Pro Bowl, earning Defensive Player of the Month in December and becoming the franchise's first Defensive Rookie of the Year. His game-changing plays, combined with his "crazy unusual" leadership, immediately made him one of the faces of a team on the rise.
Rivera's second swing will be with the No. 19 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he'll have a pair of new executives -- general manager Martin Mayhew and executive vice president of football/player personnel Marty Hurney -- helping him make that decision. They'll aim to add another valuable piece to help build a consistent winner.
In anticipation for that selection, which will be made April 29, Washingtonfootball.com will highlight one mock draft from a notable draft expert each week and delve into how that player would fit with Washington. Here are the analysts who have been highlighted over the past month:
Next up is Pro Football Focus writer Austin Gayle:
Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
If Washington intends to improve its 26th-ranked running game from last year, it's going to need some maulers on the offensive line. The team already has several of those in the likes of Brandon Scherff, Morgan Moses and Chase Roullier. Jenkins could be another player who fits that description.
Jenkins was a consistent starter for the Cowboys in three seasons, and they were some of the best the program ever had in terms of rushing offense. The Cowboys' single-season average never dipped below 187 rushing yards per game with Jenkins at right tackle, and the team rushed for an average of 229.6 yards per game in 2019, their highest total since 2008.
"Jenkins improved his PFF grade in each of his past three seasons at Oklahoma State, working all the way up to 92.0 in 2020," Gayle wrote in his recent two-round mock draft. "He is a road grader in the run game and a brick wall against bull-rush types in pass protection. Turn on his tape against Texas' Joseph Ossai, and you'll quickly understand the hype."
All the attributes Gayle and other draft experts love about Jenkins -- like his power and body control -- can be seen in his matchups with Ossai. The Texas edge defender is ranked sixth in his position, according to The Draft Network, but there were several occasions when Jenkins locked him down with ease. It impressed Gayle so much that he called Jenkins "a junkyard dog" on Twitter for his physicality in the run game.
One could argue that Washington does not need an offensive lineman with most of its offensive line already set in place. However, it is uncertain who will be the starting left tackle, even though Cornelius Lucas played well late last season and Saahdiq Charles is expected to at least compete for the spot in training camp. Jenkins mostly played on the right side in his college career, but he switched to the left and even played guard at times, so making a permanent transition is not outside of his skillset.
"Jenkins not only plays with excellent upper-body power and hand strength, he combines it with a desired level of body control and athleticism to create a consistent, toolsy talent," NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah wrote in his evaluation. "His instincts and processing serve him well in quickly sifting through moving pieces. He can be an intolerant run blocker, looking to finish and bury his opponent once he gets his block locked and centered."
One of Jenkins' biggest criticisms is his arm length, which at 33.5 inches is shorter than other top players like Christian Darrisaw, who has an arm length of 34.5 inches. That is part of the reason why some believe he could struggle against some of the NFL's top edge defenders. However, Jenkins' arm length is not far off from other prospects at his position. Penei Sewell, widely seen as the best tackle available this year, as well as Rashawn Slater and Jalen Mayfield all have shorter arm lengths.
That also has not stopped Jenkins from dominating in the pass game. He only allowed four pressures last season and did not give up a single sack on nearly 500 pass-blocking plays in 2019, according to PFF, which helped him earn the OSU Thurman Thomas Award for the most outstanding offensive player that year. Experts also praise his ability to lock down defenders, and seeing as he had 36 reps on the bench press during Oklahoma State's pro day, it's easy to see why they have such difficulty.
"He's uncharacteristically strong. I watched him in a weight room this summer, I think he hit 225 like 35 times and they weren't even counting," Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy told Sports Illustrated in 2020. "I mean he was just doing it. He has tremendous feet. He's got good leverage, he's highly intelligent and his work ethic is getting better this year."
Jenkins told reporters after his pro day that his coaches challenged him before the 2020 season to be more aggressive than in years past. He took that personally, he said, and now believes he is "the best finisher" in the draft, which sets him apart from the other offensive linemen in this year's class. His pro day results included a 32.5-inch vertical, 8-foot-10-inch broad jump and a 4.96 40-yard dash time. Those numbers were recorded in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams, so the entire league has an idea of his intangibles.
But those are not what Jenkins wants to be known for; when asked what type of player a team would get by drafting him, Jenkins answered: "A tough, physical, nasty mother(expletive)."
"A dude that doesn't shy away from hits, a dude that actually wants to get physical," he added "and a dude that's gonna bust his (expletive)."
