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After an impressive senior season and even more impressive offseason, former Tennessee football offensive tackle Darnell Wright is officially off the board. Wright was selected No. 10 overall in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
Wright’s first-round selection is the first for Tennessee since Derek Barnett was taken by the Eagles in the 2017 NFL Draft. He’s the first offensive lineman taken in the first round out of Tennessee since Miami selected Ja’Wuan James 19th overall in 2014.
Wright has been Tennessee’s best offensive lineman since Trey Smith was drafted by the Chiefs in 2021. He’s been the definition of consistency for Tennessee across multiple head coaches, offensive schemes and final records at the end of the season.
The former 5-star prospect faced off against and limited the very best college football has to offer: Will Anderson, Travon Walker (in 2021), BJ Ojulari, Brian Bresee and many more.
Here’s a look at Wright’s incredible efforts against Will Anderson in Tennessee’s win over the Tide this past season:
This is why Darnell Wright is my tackle 2 in the class… he had Will Anderson on lockdown in this game pic.twitter.com/4XoBoAjEdR
— JoshLay (@JoshLay_JLay) April 16, 2023
And here’s Wright dominating Bryan Bresee in the Orange Bowl.
Darnell Wright vs Bryan Bresee ? pic.twitter.com/vWKQLQsUqm
— The GOAT House (@GoatHouseNFL) April 15, 2023
Wright has fielded high expectations since he first stepped foot in Knoxville. The former 5-star, top-10 prospect in the Class of 2019 earned first-team All-SEC honors, was selected as a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award and was a 2-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week this past season.
It’s hard to imagine Wright not living up to the pre-draft hype in the NFL.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
