When Darnell Wright concluded his pre-draft work, there were multiple teams he liked meeting with. However, one seemed to stand out above the rest. That was the Chicago Bears. His first impression came at the Senior Bowl when he got the chance to work with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. It was a great experience. Then he met with the team privately leading up to the draft, where he became acquainted with offensive line coach Chris Morgan. It appears the two hit it off almost immediately.
So by the time the draft rolled around, the Tennessee standout silently hoped he’d end up in Chicago. After some nervous sweating when the Bears traded down from #9 to #10, he got his wish. During his press conference after the momentous pick, his excitement was hard to describe. He sounded beyond thrilled.
Poles has said he wants to add players that want to be Bears. Wright made that evident from the moment he began interacting with them. Throw in the fact he’s huge, powerful, and athletic for his size, and everything fits. He will be motivated to dominate from the moment he steps on the field.
Darnell Wright was a safe pick, and that’s okay.
Some people might be underwhelmed by this. Right tackles are boring. Even so, it was a smart decision. Good teams invest in blocking early. This is the first time the Bears have added an offensive lineman in the 1st round since 2013. Way too long of a gap. Wright appears to be the start of sanity reasserting itself in Chicago. It’s rather fitting since Ryan Poles is a former offensive lineman himself. Wright is the exact sort of player he likes. The size is there, the athleticism is there, and the mean streak is there.
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Best of all? He can play right away. It might take some time for Darnell Wright to get gone, as is the case for most young players. However, his track record speaks for itself. He won’t have a problem with NFL competition. He shut down the best players in the SEC. The guy is battle-tested and ready.
