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A look at Darnell Wright's projected rookie contract value

4A3DA472-0F39-4C89-9987-5851509375C0by:Matt Ray•04/27/23•

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Former five-star offensive tackle Darnell Wright saw his NFL dreams turn to reality on Thursday night as the Chicago Bears picked him with the 10th pick in the 1sst round.

Wright’s top-ten selection comes after a stellar showing in 2022, as he had his best performances in the Volunteers biggest games.

One key factor in Wright’s movement up boards was that he moved to right tackle over the last two seasons and had shutdown performances against the like of top-50 prospects B.J. Ojulari, Bryan Breesee and Will Anderson in 2022. Those performances received high praise from NFL Draft analysts.

Now, Wright is set for a lofty payday, according to Spotrac, Wright’s projected rookie contact is valued at $20,968,268 over four years, with a $12,249,649 guaranteed signing bonus.

“I think if you are just saying as a pure tackle,”NFL Network Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Wright leading into the Draft. “(Wright’s) tape is really, really good. And playing on the right side this year, everybody has talked about the fact that he took a big leap in this year, but it’s hard to find guys that are 330 pounds that move like him and are as strong as he is at right tackle. I think he is plug-and-play. I think he is ready to go.”

Looking back at Wright’s time at Tennessee

After picking Tennessee over Georgia, Alabama and others, Wright went on to play in 47 games, including 42 starts across the offensive line. Of Wright’s 42 starts, 27 came at Wright tackle with 13 at left tackle and two at right guard. Wright earned several honors, according to utsports.com

2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl Participant
2022 All-SEC First Team (Associated Press, Coaches, USA TODAY)
2022 Rotary Lombardi Award Semifinalist
SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week (vs. #3 Alabama, 10/15/22; vs. #19 Kentucky, 10/29/22)
2019 Freshman All-SEC Team

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