Taking every draft rumor with a grain of salt is always important. Who it comes from is a big thing. Some insiders can be trusted more than others. The Chicago Bears have become one of the hardest teams to predict going into Thursday night. They no longer hold the #1 overall pick, having moved down to 9th. Now experts can’t quite get a feel for what GM Ryan Poles has planned. Jalen Carter and Paris Johnson are the two most popular names at the moment, understandably so. However, there is growing momentum on the fringes that Darnell Wright is the name people should be watching.
The Tennessee standout is viewed as the best pure right tackle in the draft. He was an outstanding pass protector last season, stonewalling the best of the SEC. He’s big, long, nasty, and athletic for his size. That checks all the boxes for what the Bears reportedly look for in their lineman. It helps he plays the one position on their offensive line that needs the most help. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, who correctly had Carolina trading with Chicago last month, hears the Wright buzz is very real.
“The most talented tackle might be Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, who could go as early as Chicago at No. 9. Some teams have maturity concerns about Wright, but he believes — and has tried to prove — that he’s well past issues from early in his UT tenure. Most teams have a hard time believing he’ll slip based on the immense talent. He could surprise people.”
Darnell Wright feels like their fallback plan.
Nothing is certain, but it sounds like the Bears see Carter and Johnson as their two preferred options at #9. However, it also seems they expect both will be off the board by the time they’re on the clock. In such a case, they need to have alternatives in mind. Wright seems to be one of them, if not the primary. While maybe not the athlete Johnson is, he’s got all the traits of a long-term NFL starter. Many even consider him the best tackle in the draft. Taking him would be a perfect case of not overthinking it.
It would mark the first time since 2011 that the Bears took a tackle in the 1st round. Obviously, the hope is Darnell Wright would work out far better than Gabe Carimi did. Presuming he stays healthy, that should be the case. This young man is as close to a safe pick as you’re likely to find in this draft class. He’s got the physical tools necessary to play a long time in the NFL. His pass-protecting skills also bring something to the table this team desperately needs. If it helps Justin Fields, it’s not a bad pick.
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