NFL.com Mock Draft Tackles a Weakness

You can never have enough quality offensive linemen, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed by dismantling the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Would the Green Bay Packers have reached the Super Bowl with a healthy David Bakhtiari?

While the Packers beat the Chicago Bears in Week 17 and the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round without their All-Pro left tackle, they were overwhelmed in the NFC Championship Game by the same defensive front that overwhelmed the Kansas City Chiefs’ backup tackles in the Super Bowl.

With Billy Turner moving from right tackle to left tackle and banged-up Rick Wagner stepping in at right tackle, the Tampa Bay tandem of Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett beat Green Bay’s tackles for five sacks in the championship game. Maybe Jared Veldheer could have helped had he not tested positive for COVID-19.

In NFL.com’s mock draft, Daniel Jeremiah rectified that problem by selecting Oklahoma State right tackle Teven Jenkins.

“We saw how much of a toll injuries took on the Packers' offensive line in the postseason. Jenkins can play tackle or slide inside if they need him to,” Jeremiah wrote.

Jenkins, a redshirt senior in 2020, plays with “grown-man strength,” in the eyes of Pro Football Focus. PFF charged him with zero sacks allowed during his final two seasons.

Wrote Jack Borowsky of SI.com’s NFL Draft Bible: “Jenkins was the best run blocker on film but he was also outstanding in pass protection, giving up a total of seven hurries in 12 games. He never gave up more than one pressure in any game. This means that a defensive end was lucky to get near the quarterback one time in a game in which they were lined up against Jenkins.”