Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh, The Wright Stuff. Sorry for the New Kids on the Block reference, but I think it works. OT Darnell Wright is the newest kid on our Chicago Bears getting selected #10 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday night. How you feeling?
We knew the Bears would be targeting a top offensive lineman; we also had an idea that Jalen Carter would slip down the top 10. When #9 was on the clock, they were both available. Well, 3 out of the top 4 O-linemen were available, since Paris Johnson Jr was selected by the Cardinals at #6. I was nervous. I didn’t want to have to make this decision. I had went back and forth on Jalen Carter. At the end of the day, I had determined, based on the latest stuff going on with Carter, and the fact that the DL is the deepest position in the draft, that the Bears should NOT reach for him; it still didn’t make this moment any more nerve racking. Then a trade was announced. When I saw it was the Eagles swapping the 10 pick with us for the 9 pick, I knew Philly was going after him. The Bears got an extra 4th round pick next year for free basically, since at that moment, it was clear Poles was NOT going for Carter; I was relieved. Sure, could Carter turn out to be great? Yes. Since the Eagles made this move and took him, does it make them the smartest team in the draft? Time will tell. Once Jalen was off the board, the Bears path to an OL was clear.
I’m not going to lie. When they announced Darnell Wright’s name, I froze for a minute; I forgot his name. I knew Paris, Skoronski, and Broderick; for some reason, Darnell didn’t stick in my head. For a second, I thought the Bears went off the grid to take some guy nobody else was looking at; thankfully, I was wrong. Darnell Wright WAS that other top offensive lineman, and based on this pick, was the top guy on the Bears draft board; well, Paris MAY have been, but since he was gone, Darnell was next up over Skoronski and Broderick; I was good.
How excited can you be over an offensive lineman selection in the first round? I laugh seeing the fans at the draft for all their teams cheering on their pick, like they have any clue. Plus, an offensive lineman is probably the least glorified position in football; ironically, outside of QB, it may be the most important. You know, you need guys to protect that most important position in football. You know how excited we can get about this pick? The last time the Bears selected a top 10 Offensive Lineman was back in 1983; his name was Jimbo Covert. He’s a Hall of Famer. He was part of the 1985 Super Bowl Champion team. ‘Nuff said…
So, does Darnell Wright have the right stuff? Assuming he’ll be starting day one, we’ll find out pretty quickly. Sounds like he’ll be starting at RT, which would be the only question mark about it; will we convert him to a LT, or was he just ranked that clearly ahead of a guy at that position that it doesn’t matter? What about our LT position? Well, all of our roster questions were not going to be answered after Day 1 of the NFL Draft, but an area of need WAS addressed, and for that, I’m very happy. Two 2nd round picks and one 3rd round pick are up next for the Bears, where some more new kids will join our block. Let’s do this. Bear Down!!!
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