Complete Cowboys Draft Wrap: Jenkins was 1st Rounder, Wallace Hurt by Knee History
STILLWATER – All’s well that ends well could be the theme of the 2021 NFL Draft as far as it pertains to Oklahoma State’s selections and free agent signees. Sure, it could have been better as at least one of the free agent signees, maybe two could have been drafted. Chuba Hubbard surprised a little bit coming off the board before wide receiver Tylan Wallace, but Wallace was prejudiced some by medical opinions and Hubbard was boosted by the opinion of a head coach’s wife. The first Cowboy off the board and at the same time the first Big 12 player off the board could have happened in the first round. It would have saved some face for the Big 12, but in the eyes of the team that got him, Teven Jenkins was a first round pick.
We’ll start there. The Chicago Bears are pulling A+ grades from the folks that grade draft performance such as Pro Football Focus and a huge reason is the Bears saw an opportunity on Thursday night in the first round to trade up and draft a potential franchise quarterback of the future in talented Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. The trade up to the 11th pick included swapping the Bears original first-round pick at 20. That was where the majority of mock drafts had the Bears taking Jenkins.
It is now obvious that other NFL teams projected to possibly take Jenkins did not see the 6-6, 320-pound Topeka, Kan. native as a first rounder. The Bears came back on night two early in the second round and traded up with Carolina to get Jenkins. The Bears got the player they intended to and a quarterback to boot.
“Now, that I was picked in the second round I have more people to prove wrong,” Jenkins said with a chip planted on his large shoulder. “Coming to the beautiful city of Chicago I’m just ready to get to work.”
Saturday morning the Bears media department arranged an interesting Zoom conference with Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy. That is not a staple for every first-round pick and certainly not done often with second-round selections. Jenkins is a buzz with the Bears and in Chicago.
“Teven is very interesting, and I think he is just scratching the surface on his ability,” Gundy told the Chicago Bears beat reporters. “He came from Topeka, Kansas and when he arrived I don’t think he had any idea what college football was like. Just in the last year he has developed some toughness and grit that will certainly benefit him playing in the NFL. I would not be surprised that if in the next two years that people don’t look back and feel he was the best offensive line take in this draft. I say that because he has phenomenal athleticism, strength, and intelligence.”
Gundy continued and said Jenkins will learn progressively and likely rapidly as he goes. He told the story of how he would joke with Jenkins in the weight room during his OSU days and tell him he was the one player in the room that could someday be worth $30-40-million.
“I think when he gets into training camp there are going to be some of those rush ends that are going to throw him around a little bit. I think Chicago has one of those guys that is good at that.” Gundy added. “They might sling him around and slap him in the head a little bit, but here’s what going to happen. He is going to learn he has to fight back, and when he has to fight back he has a physical and uncanny presence that allows him to be successful.”
Jenkins joins another product of Oklahoma State offensive line coach Charlie Dickey in former Kansas State standout and current Bears top offensive lineman Cody Whitehair. Whitehair and Jenkins should make for excellent pillars in the Bears offensive front.
The biggest surprise in the draft from an Oklahoma State perspective was running back Chuba Hubbard coming off the board in the fourth round before wide receiver Tylan Wallace, who we as did many others projected as a second night selection.
Hubbard is certainly a player with strong potential and was brilliant in his 2,000-yard plus All-American season in 2019. You never know who you are impressing and when Hubbard rushed for 171-yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries Julie Rhule took notice.
In his phone call to Hubbard when he spoke to Hubbard on Saturday, he told the speedy running back and native of Canada that his wife had text him 10 minutes before the pick and told him to take Hubbard. The Panthers owner David Tepper got on the phone and told Hubbard that was indeed the case. Now, Rhule told the media that his wife wasn’t the only reason the Panthers took Hubbard, but she helped.
“Julie, being a coach’s wife, she’s sat through a lot of games and seen a lot of players,” Rhule said, via David Newton of ESPN.com. “It’s funny, I had one former executive who texted me and said, ‘It’s pretty simple. When you play against guys and you hate playing against them, they’re people someday you want to put on your team.'”
Hubbard is the only running back that Carolina selected and with the former back-up in Mike Davis leaving, he would seemingly plug in as the back to Carolina starter Christian McCaffrey. It looks like an excellent fit for Hubbard.
While Hubbard came off the board maybe a little earlier and what some thought might have been out of order for prospective Oklahoma State Cowboys ahead of Wallace. The question begs why Wallace when he was one of the best available players with so many experts sat in that position for almost a full round, the back half of the third and the first half of the fourth.
The answer to that question can only be one thing. Wallace was in Indianapolis a few weeks ago for the medical portion of the NFL Combine and with his one ACL tear and surgery in 2019 and his twin brother having to retire from football and become a graduate assistant coach for the Cowboys, the NFL might have been a little hesitant. Hesitancy is not a good thing in the draft.
“Going into it I thought I was going to be picked a lot earlier, but everything happens for a reason,” Wallace said. “I’m just happy that I was picked by Baltimore. I could see that being a reason (why he slid some in the draft), but like I said I’m just glad that Baltimore took a chance on me and I’m ready to go to work.”
Wallace will come in with a first-round receiver pick by the Ravens. Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman had a higher draft grade but his 31 games with 147 receptions for 2,395-yards and 19 touchdowns with a 16.3 per catch average is behind Wallace with 44-games and 205 catches for 3,434-yards with 26 touchdowns and a per catch production of 16.8-yards. I’ll put my money on Wallace.
The only other draft pick from the Cowboys was Rodarius Williams going to the New York Giants in the sixth round. Pro Football Focus called the selection and intriguing one for the Giants and projected that the sixth all-time corner in pass break-ups at Oklahoma State could be a starting man coverage corner for the Giants.
“I’m a durable guy and I don’t miss many games and I don’t miss many practices,” Williams told Giants reporters. “I’m a guy that is going to show up and work. I haven’t played many special teams but I was a four-year starter.”
New York took a corner in the third round in Central Florida’s Aaron Robinson, who started off at Alabama and transferred after one season.
The two are similar size, but Williams production as a defender is much greater than the Giants higher pick. This will be something to watch in training camp and the preseason.
| NFL Team | Oklahoma State Player Drafted by Team | Team’s Draft Grade from PFF/ESPN |
| Chicago Bears | Teven Jenkins, OT, 6-6, 320 | A+ / B+ |
| Carolina Panthers | Chuba Hubbard, RB, 6-0, 208 | B- / B |
| Baltimore Ravens | Tylan Wallace, WR, 6-0, 190 | B+ / B+ |
| New York Giants | Rodarius Williams, CB, 6-0, 195 | B+ / B+ |
Four Cowboys were picked up as free agents right after the draft.
Dillon Stoner goes to the Las Vegas and the Raiders did not select a wide receiver in the draft, so Stoner will help the Raiders with a weakness they did not address in the seven-rounds of the draft. A great spot for Stoner, who will also be a special teams contributor.
Arizona signed defensive tackle Cameron Murray, who is a rare 6-2, 300-pound man that can run a 4.89 in the forty. Murray is not a two-gap inside defensive tackle, but he can play in a three-man front and has for Oklahoma State. Also, the Cardinals did not draft a defensive tackle, so his competition is already there. He has a good chance to make it in the desert.
Calvin Bundage is going to Pittsburgh and he’ll have former teammates there in quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver James Washington. The Steelers did draft an edge rusher in Miami, Fla. specialist Quincy Roche, who started out his first three seasons at Temple. Bundage will have his work cout out for him as he is undersized. The advice is to go see the special teams coordinator and work to get on every special team unit that he can. His speed will be an asset.
Finally, Amen Ogbongbemiga signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. Ogbongbemiga is a big producer and a veteran of lots of special teams reps. He will likely battle sixth round pick out of Iowa Nick Niemann for a roster spot. Ogbongbemiga will have a real good shot of getting that as he is more athletic than the former Hawkeye linebacker. I would rate that as another good signing selection by Ogbongbemiga’s agent.