Darnell Wright was the Chicago Bears‘ 9th overall pick in the 2023 draft. Some were surprised by that, feeling he went a little earlier than he should’ve. GM Ryan Poles wasn’t spooked. He believed the big, power, and athletic tackle fit the exact identity this team wants to build. His tireless work ethic and nastiness didn’t hurt either. All things considered, Wright had a solid rookie season. He played well in several games, some of them despite having an injured shoulder. It was validation that the Bears had made a good selection.
Another person who seems to think this is Geoff Schwartz. The former guard played almost a decade in the NFL before becoming a prominent analyst for Fox Sports Radio. In a fun experiment, he joined offensive line specialist Brandon Thorn and former All-Pro left tackle Andrew Whitworth. They were going to do an all-offensive line draft, trying to build the best starting five with one reserve under 25 years old. Schwartz got through his starting five before securing a top player under 25. He opted for Wright, which did not please his colleague Whitworth at all.
Clearly, the young Bears tackle is held in high esteem.
His 2023 performance was mixed. Still, there were signs that he was already morphing into a good player. For one, he was the highest-rated run-blocker in his entire class, and that was with playing the second-most snaps. He also finished the year strong as a pass blocker. Over the final five games, Wright had 91 snaps where he had to block a defender one-on-one. He allowed only eight pressures in those situations. He was clearly playing his best football throughout the second half of the season.
He now has an offensive coordinator who has shown the capability to develop young tackles. Shane Waldron did great things for Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas in Seattle. Darnell Wright can benefit from his presence in several ways. It also wouldn’t hurt if the quarterback is able to get the ball out faster. That was a constant issue with Justin Fields, which likely impacted Wright’s numbers. Either way, when you have two legitimate former linemen fawning over you, it’s a safe bet you’re pretty good.
