LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) – Offensive tackle Darnell Wright arrived at Tennessee’s practice facility at 10:30 a.m. on April 8 and soon began a workout that solidified where he would end up as a professional.
Wright didn’t realize it at the time, but he made a strong impression on Bears general manager Ryan Poles and became the top tackle on the draft board at Halas Hall. On Thursday evening as the Bears were on the clock with the No. 10 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Wright never imagined his name would be called, but that’s what happened after he previously won over Chicago’s scouting brass.
On that morning in Knoxville, Poles watched from the side as Bears offensive line coach Chris Morgan put Wright through a rigorous workout.
“We brought him in deep water to see if he could swim or not,” Poles said. “And he accepted the challenge and he showed us the grit and the mental toughness to be able to fight through fatigue and all of those things that we look for. So, it was a really good experience from start to finish, a guy that we were comfortable with as being the top tackle in the draft.
“You're always looking to be convicted about things, and that was the final box we were able to check and feel good about it.”
The workout pushed Wright at a fast pace and included both run and pass concepts. The Bears wanted to see how he would respond when pressed mentally and physically. Did he have the toughness to push through it?
Wright showed Poles that he carried the attitude of a player who wasn’t going to back down.
“He kicked my ass, if we’re being honest,” Wright said of that workout. “He wanted to see what I was made of. It was hard, but I didn’t quit.
“He just wanted to see if I’d quit, and I wouldn’t quit.”
Before selecting Wright on Thursday, the Bears traded down from No. 9 overall to No. 10, landing a 2024 fourth-round pick from the Eagles in the process. Poles was comfortable making that move because he knew Philadelphia wasn’t going to select an offensive tackle. The Eagles had moved up to ensure they could select talented-but-embattled Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, whom the Bears had already decided to pass on.
In a strong class of offensive tackles, the Bears felt Wright separated himself. Paris Johnson Jr. (Ohio State) was the first tackle selected as he went No. 6 overall to the Cardinals, and the Bears took Wright over alternatives like Peter Skoronski (Northwestern) and Broderick Jones (Georgia).
Wright projects to be the Bears’ starter at right tackle as a rookie in 2023, but Poles noted that he’ll have to earn that starting spot. His new team believes he’ll be up to that challenge.
“He’s a tone-setter who plays with an edge to him, which we love,” Poles said.
“A guy that we were comfortable with being the top tackle in the draft.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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