Darnell Wright could be a top-15 pick in NFL Draft after he 'aced the pre-draft process'
Darnell Wright has “aced the pre-draft process” and could get drafted inside the top 15 according to ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid. The former All-SEC Tennessee offensive tackle has been projected to go in the middle of the first round by most mock drafts.
“If there’s one player who has aced the pre-draft process, it’s Wright,” Reid wrote on Friday in ESPN’s “NFL Draft Buzz” update. “He displayed an improved skill set at the Senior Bowl and then stood out at the combine. And now it seems Wright could be selected in the early teens.
“At 6-foot-5 and 333 pounds, he has experience at both guard and tackle, and many teams feel like he can play on either the right or left side. A run on offensive tackles could start as early as No. 7 overall with the Las Vegas Raiders and Wright might be in the early stages of that run, perhaps inside the top 15.”
Darnell Wright was First Team All-SEC after breakout season
Wright, 6-foot-6, 335-pound senior, anchored Tennessee’s offensive line and was named a First Team All-SEC pick by the Associated Press, USA Today and SEC Coaches. He was a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award and was twice named the SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week.
He turned enough heads in February at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., to be voted the American team’s Offensive Line Practice Player of the Week. The award was voted on by defensive linemen that competed against the offensive linemen at the Senior Bowl.
Wright declared for the NFL Draft in December but opted to play alongside his Tennessee teammates in the Capital One Orange Bowl on December 30, a 31-14 win over Clemson at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
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ESPN has Wright ranked as the No. 4 offensive tackle in the draft class, behind Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. and Georgia’s Broderick Jones. He’s ranked No. 18 overall on ESPN’s “best available” list with a draft grade of 91.
ESPN’s Todd McShay last week had Wright at No. 19 overall in the first round, selected by the New England Patriots in his latest mock draft.
Up Next: NFL Draft, April 27-29, Kansas City
“Trent Brown turns 30 this offseason, Isaiah Wynn is still unsigned, and Reilly Reiff isn’t a long-term fix at right tackle,” McShay wrote. “And when your quarterback turns in a league-low 4.1 QBR when pressured, you’d think getting him some more protection would be a priority. So landing Wright at No. 19 after the trade-back works on a lot of levels.
“Wright allowed just one sack last season, thanks in part to his great balance and 6-5, 333-pound frame. He’d also help spring running back Rhamondre Stevenson as one of the best run-blockers in the class. I considered Boston College receiver Zay Flowers, but while pass-catcher is a need, right tackle is a bigger one.”
