The Cincinnati Bengals could find themselves in range for Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
A five-star recruit out of West Virginia, Wright was the second tackle in 2019 behind only Evan Neal, the seventh-overall draft pick in 2022. He was on the SEC All-Freshman team in 2019 and wound up playing both offensive tackle spots in college.
A quick rundown:
Measurables: 6’5″, 333 pounds
Testing: 5.01 40-yard dash, 86 athleticism Score
Stats (three seasons): No sacks, two quarterback hits on 500-plus pass-blocking snaps in 2022.
2023 PFF grade: 71.34
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar ranks Wright as the draft’s 12th-overall prospect:
Conclusion: I would probably keep Wright on the right side of the offensive line were I in charge of his NFL team based on his 2021 reps on the left side, but Wright is also coming into a league in which the different in importance between left and right tackles have bridged to a pretty decent degree. Wright played in a spread/Air Raid/veer offense, but he’s all about pure power and setting the tone for his offense, and given his ability to take tape study to the field at a very high level already, his prospects for NFL success seem high.
Our take: Wright is an instant-starter candidate, so it would be interesting to see what the team does with Jonah Williams and La’el Collins. Cutting off both of their big cap hits would certainly give them room to do other things. It’s a pretty safe bet Wright would be the best player on their board at No. 28.
