In the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected offensive lineman Darnell Wright with the 10th overall pick on Thursday, April 27, in Kansas City, Missouri.
“Yeah, yeah. You want to support your quarterback. We all know that’s where it starts,” said Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles post Draft. “So, you want to surround him with talent. We had to wait a little bit to do it the way I wanted to do it and the way we wanted to do it, and I think we found some good opportunities to do that, solidify and improve the O-line, make sure that we have the running game to stay balanced, and then give him different types of receivers and different threats to create separation from the tight ends to receivers, so more big plays can be made and you can grow your confidence and get in a rhythm.”
Poles continued, “That’s the other thing we need to talk about too is just building that chemistry with all these new players coming together. So, we’re looking forward to the off-season and putting that time in and building that chemistry so everyone can rely on each other.”
According to the Chicago Bears, the team acquired the 10th overall selection after completing a pair of trades with the Carolina Panthers on March 15, and the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.
In exchange for Chicago’s original No. 1 overall pick, the Bears received Carolina’s 2023 first-round pick at No. 9, a 2023 second-round pick (No. 61 overall via San Francisco), a 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and wide receiver DJ Moore.
On Thursday night, the Bears traded back from No. 9, agreeing to a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that landed the 10th overall pick,which they used to select Wright. The Bears received a 2024 fourth-round pick from Philadelphia in order to trade back one spot.
The Bears said Wright is a 6’6, 335-pound lineman, who is coming to Chicago after a successful four-year career at the University of Tennessee, where he competed in 47 games (42 starts) – 27 at right tackle, two at right guard and 13 at left tackle. In four seasons. Wright played 2,746 offensive snaps.
A Huntington, West Virginia, native, Wright earned first-team ALL-SEC honors in 2022 after dominating at right tackle for the Vols. Wright concluded his career in Knoxville without allowing a sack for 19 consecutive games.
He also was selected as a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award and was a two-time SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week during the 2022 season.
ADDITIONAL DRAFT Picks:
General Manager Ryan Poles, in his second draft with the Bears, made his 12th overall draft selection on Thursday evening and his first, first-round selection as the club’s GM.
Below are Poles’ Day 2 and Day 3 additional picks from the 2023 NFL Draft:
The Chicago Bears added three defensive players on the second day of the 2023 NFL Draft. With their first pick in the second round, the Bears selected University of Florida defensive lineman Gervon Dexter, Sr., with the 53rd overall pick. The Bears then made a trade, sending picks No. 61 (second round) and 136 (fifth round) to the Jacksonville Jaguars to move up five spots to bolster the secondary with University of Miami defensive back Tyrique Stevenson at No. 56 overall. With their lone third-round pick, the Bears selected defensive lineman Zacch Pickens out of South Carolina with the 64th overall pick.
On Day 3, round 4 with Pick 13 (115), the Chicago Bears took running back Roschon Johnson (Texas), Pick 31 (133) wide receiver Tyler Scott (Cincinnati), Round 5, Pick 13, Pick 30 (165) cornerback Terell Smith (Minnesota) and Round 7, Pick 1 (218) defensive tackle Travis Bell (Kennesaw State) and defensive back Kendall Williamson (Stanford).
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
