Tennessee offensive lineman Darnell Wright declares for 2023 NFL Draft
Tennessee Volunteers offensive lineman Darnell Wright announced on Thursday that he is declaring for 2023 NFL Draft. Despite his plans to leave Tennessee for the draft, Wright will play in the Orange Bowl versus Clemson.
“Can’t thank @Vol_Football enough it’s been a hell of a time,” Wright tweeted with his announcement. “To all my teammates that helped me get to this point can’t thank y’all enough and to the fans that believed in us along the way I’m happy to say I left it better than I found it #GBO“
Wright’s move was anticipated following his acceptance of a Senior Bowl invite earlier this week.
Wright moved to right tackle this offseason after spending the 2021 campaign at left tackle. He has not allowed a sack in his last 18 games.
Standing in at 6-foot-6, 335 pounds, the offensive lineman has appeared in 46 games throughout his with 41 starts. Wright finished the 2022 regular season not allowing a sack on 829 offensive snaps. In total, the tackle has logged 2,680 career snaps while making 26 starts at right tackle, 13 at left tackle and two at right guard.
Coming out of Huntington High School in West Virginia in 2019, Wright was a five-star prospect. He was the No. 6 overall recruit in his class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
More on the 2023 NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft takes place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event location this year is the plaza just outside of Union Station.
Round 1 of the NFL Draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft broadcast runs throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.
To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. One hundred underclassmen gained approval for last year’s draft. Seventy-three of those 100 underclassmen received special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.
The 2023 NFL scouting combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.