Not everybody was on board with Darnell Wright being the pick at 10th overall for the Chicago Bears. Some felt there were two better offensive line options available. One was Peter Skoronski of Northwestern, and the other was Broderick Jones of Georgia. A big reason for this was the ongoing criticism that Wright was a specific type of offensive tackle. He was big, long, and powerful. However, he was also 330 lbs. That made him a bad fit for a zone scheme that requires offensive linemen to be able to pull and get out in space.
While it’s true Wright is a powerful and violent blocker, some believe the idea that he is somehow restricted to a phone booth is entirely incorrect. Ted Nguyen of The Athletic is a top tape analyst. He released a list of ten players from the draft he felt were the absolute best scheme fits for the teams that picked them. It must’ve been a shock to many when he put Wright to the Bears as one of them. He pointed out that not only was it because he was a great fit for their run game, but also the fact he was grossly underestimated as an athlete.
Wright can move.
4. Darnell Wright, OT, Chicago Bears
Play Style: Physically imposing pass and run blocker
Scheme: Run-heavy option scheme, deep-shot play action
Wright fits the physical mold that the Bears covet in their offensive linemen. This is a man who plays with bad intentions. He’ll help keep Justin Fields upright — he didn’t allow a sack last season at Tennessee — but he’ll also clear holes for Fields on designed QB runs. On The Athletic Football Show, Nate Tice made an excellent point about how much force Wright comes with as a puller and how well that translates to some of the Bears’ QB run concepts.
With Chicago’s offensive line completely rebuilt from the unit it was two years ago and Fields having another year in the same system, the number of pressures, sacks and quarterback hits should dip, and the Bears offense should continue to trend upward.
Darnell Wright is a freak of nature.
Anybody who paid attention can see that. His 5.01 time in the 40-yard dash was the second-best of any offensive lineman over 330 lbs since 2000. Try to imagine what happens if he even drops ten pounds. There is no telling how much quicker he can become. The Bears recognized this almost right away. They weren’t worried about the weight. They wanted to see how his feet looked. Sam Summerville, one of their top scouts, said his footwork was some of the lightest for somebody that size he’d ever seen.
Put simply, Darnell Wright was profiled. People saw his immense size, weight, and strength and immediately declared him a classic power-gap tackle. Nothing more. The Bears disagreed. After seeing his tape and working him out several times, they were convinced he fits their wide-zone scheme and could thrive in it. Considering GM Ryan Poles and assistant GM Ian Cunningham both played offensive line? It might be wise to trust their judgment on this one.
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