Now that the Chicago Bears have been able to sleep on their decision to trade up and grab Teven Jenkins with pick No. 39, it’s important to remember a few things about Jenkins, particularly after hearing what he said during his press conference.
One thing that a lot of Bears fans can agree on is that they’re excited to root Teven Jenkins on. He is a very easy person to root for, so it seems.
Now that Jenkins has had his first chance to speak with the Chicago media after being drafted, what are some things to listen to and possibly dissect at a level deeper than what appears at the surface?
Jenkins began tearing up after being drafted, was all smiling
Being drafted no matter when in the NFL is something that makes people emotional, as it’s an admirable achievement for so many prospects. However, that feeling of emotion seems to grow the higher you’re taken– or maybe even the lower you fall in Jenkins’ case.
Since Teven Jenkins was told by his agent that the chances of him being a Day One pick were about 50/50, his expectations to be a first-rounder were not set up for possible disappointment. In fact, Jenkins found himself to start tearing up once he received the call that the Chicago Bears were selecting him with the 39th pick.
"“When they called me, I was all smiling, cheerful, everything… I started tearing up a little bit because all my hard work has come to fruition.”"
As for a team that’s had a massive trajectory swap, at least in the eyes of some Chicago Bears fans and insiders, it shouldn’t only excite the fan base that Jenkins was so happily emotional about the call, but it should excite the coaching staff. That’s something I think that might get overlooked sometimes is that it seems much easier to coach a player to fit a certain culture when they’re already very excited to be there in the first place.
So, while Jenkins wasn’t a first-round pick like he might’ve hoped, he continues to work each day to prove the 38 picks before all wrong.
It should still make Bears fans excited because, in the words of this 6-6, 320-lb bodyguard, “Chicago Bears the right choice with me.”