The Chicago Bears surprised some when they added right tackle Darnell Wright with the 10th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. It was a bit of a surprise from the mock draft crowd, but it was a scenario discussed, and it is clear that the Chicago Bears had a serious interest.
For the fans who only knew bits and pieces about Wright before this night, what should they learn today?
3. Darnell Wright brings four years of starting experience to the Chicago Bears
Darnell Wright was a five-star recruit when he went to college, and he got on the field immediately. He started seven games as a freshman, with five starts at right tackle, and two starts at right guard as he was named all-freshman in his conference.
He won the right tackle job heading into his sophomore season and put in ten more starts. Darnell Wright moved to the left side in 2021, and while he started at 13 games, the switch actually hurt his draft stock. The Volunteers moved Wright back to right tackle in 2022, and that is when he became a first-round lock.
Overall, Wright has 42 career starts with 27 at right tackle, 13 at left tackle, and two at right guard. That amounted to 1,752 snaps at right tackle, 934 at left tackle, and 56 at right guard. Over that time the Volunteers ran a zone scheme 49% of the time, and a gap scheme 43%. However, last season he had 54% of his snaps in a power scheme with 37% in a zone scheme.
What that shows us is that he has a lot of experience, and while he is projected to stick at right tackle, he at least could work at left tackle, or even inside at guard. Paris Johnson has 26 starts and Broderick Jones has 19 starts, so the experience was obviously a factor for the team. Beyond that, he plays right tackle, and the Chicago Bears do not have to move Braxton Jones to a new position now. When you add that up, it is a lot easier to see why the Bears took him at ten.