Darnell Wright

Last updated

Darnell Wright
Darnell Wright (cropped).jpg
Wright in 2025
No. 58 – Chicago Bears
Position Offensive tackle
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2001-08-10) August 10, 2001 (age 24)
Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High school Huntington
College Tennessee (2019–2022)
NFL draft 2023: 1st round, 10th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Games started49
Games played49
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Darnell Marquies Wright (born August 10, 2001) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the Bears tenth overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

Contents

Early life

Wright was born on August 10, 2001, in Huntington, West Virginia. In his first years of football, Wright played in the Beverly Hills Youth Football League. [1] He attended Huntington High School where he participated in track & field, football, and basketball. [2] Wright won the 2017 Class AAA State Basketball Championship playing for Huntington High, [3] and won the state title for shot-put in 2018. [4] He was selected his sophomore year for the 2016 Class AAA Football All-State Second Offensive Team, [5] and selected for the 2017 and 2018 Class AAA Football All-State First Offensive Teams. [6] [7] He was named to the roster for the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game. [8] A five-star recruit, Wright committed to play college football at the University of Tennessee. [9] [10]

College career

As a freshman in 2019, Wright played in 11 games and recorded seven starts. [11] He was named to the 2019 Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman Team as a result. [12] Wright made nine starts in 2020 and 13 in 2021. [13] Entering the 2022 season, Wright was projected as a top prospect in the 2023 NFL draft. [14] He was named first-team All-SEC for his performance in the 2022 season. [15] Wright played 2,746 offensive snaps in 47 games (42 starts) - 27 at right tackle, two at right guard and 13 at left tackle for the Volunteers. [16] [17] He participated in the 2023 Senior Bowl, representing the American Team under his future NFL offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. [18] [19]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 5+3⁄8 in
(1.97 m)		333 lb
(151 kg)		33+3⁄4 in
(0.86 m)		9 in
(0.23 m)		5.01 s1.81 s2.90 s4.72 s29.0 in
(0.74 m)		9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)
Sources: [20] [21]

Wright was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round as the tenth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. [22] The pick reunited him with Getsy, who commended Wright's "respect for the position and the guys that he's trying to emulate" during their Senior Bowl meetings. [19]

As a rookie, Wright started in all 17 games. [23] He had 1,133 snaps played, 7 penalties, 7 sacks allowed, 3 hits, 41 hurries, 51 pressures and was named in the Top 5 Most Impactful Bears of 2023 by USA Today Sports. [24] Wright was additionally selected for the 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team. [25] In the 2024 season, he appeared in and started 16 games. [26]

After the Bears brought in a new coaching staff under Ben Johnson in 2025, Wright was the only starting offensive lineman from the previous year to return. [27] He and his new teammates helped the Bears reduce their sacks allowed from 68 in 2024 to 24 and have one of the top-ranked rushing offenses in the league. [28] [27] Despite playing much of the year with a torn UCL, he allowed just three sacks and 19 pressures. [29] Wright was named second-team All-Pro for 2025. [28]

Statistics

Legend
BoldCareer high
YearTeamGamesOffense
GPGSSnapsPctHoldingFalse StartDecl/PenAcpt/Pen
2023 CHI 17171,133100%55111
2024 CHI 16161,02295%0527
2025 CHI 16161,07499%54012
Career 49493,229—1014330

References

  1. ↑ Payton, Joseph (May 3, 2023). "Darnell Wright's dominance began in Beverly Hills Youth Football League". WSAZ . Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  2. ↑ Treacy, Jim (April 28, 2023). "An historic night for Huntington High alum". WSAZ.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  3. ↑ "SENATE RESOLUTION 73 (By Senators Woelfel, Plymale, Stollings, Unger and Beach) [Introduced April 6, 2017]". West Virginia Legislature. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  4. ↑ Fishbain, Kevin (April 28, 2023). "Bears OT Darnell Wright's high school coach: 'Whatever this man wants to do, he can do it'". The Athletic. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  5. ↑ MetroNews (December 11, 2016). "2016 Class AAA high school football all-state teams". WV MetroNews. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  6. ↑ "2017 Class AAA high school football all-state teams". WV MetroNews. December 10, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Class AAA All-State Football Team". WV MetroNews. December 9, 2018. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  8. ↑ "2019 Under Armour All-America Game rosters revealed". USA TODAY High School Sports. December 30, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  9. ↑ Clay, Jarrod (February 6, 2019). "Huntington's Darnell Wright signs with Tennessee". WCHS. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  10. ↑ Carey, Greg (February 6, 2019). "Huntington's Darnell Wright opts for Tennessee over West Virginia". WV MetroNews. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  11. ↑ Rill, Jake (August 16, 2021). "Darnell Wright shares why he never considered transferring from Tennessee". Saturday Down South. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  12. ↑ "2019 SEC All-Freshman Football Team announced". SEC Sports. December 12, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  13. ↑ Wilson, Mike (August 5, 2022). "Why Darnell Wright moved back to right tackle for Tennessee football". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  14. ↑ Harralson, Dan (May 10, 2022). "Darnell Wright projected as a 2023 first-round draft pick". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  15. ↑ Lay, Ken (December 6, 2022). "Darnell Wright named First-Team All-SEC". Vols Wire. USA Today . Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Darnell Wright - Football". University of Tennessee Athletics. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Darnell Wright (OL): Bio, News, Stats & more". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  18. ↑ Callihan, Schuyler (February 1, 2023). "2023 Reese's Senior Bowl Rosters". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  19. 1 2 "Bears OC Getsy gained valuable insight at Senior Bowl". Chicago Bears. May 6, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Darnell Wright Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  21. ↑ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Darnell Wright College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  22. ↑ Mayer, Larry (April 27, 2023). "Bears trade down, draft Tennessee OT Darnell Wright at No. 10". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Darnell Wright 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  24. ↑ Barbieri, Alyssa; Sugrue, Brendan (January 25, 2024). "15 Most Impactful Bears of 2023: No. 5 Darnell Wright". Bears Wire. USA Today . Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  25. ↑ Brooks, Bucky (January 18, 2024). "2023 NFL All-Rookie Team: Lions, Rams each boast four selections; Texans clearly nailed top-three picks". NFL.com. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Darnell Wright 2024 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  27. 1 2 Radcliffe, JR (January 6, 2026). "7 things to know about Bears before Packers playoff game". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  28. 1 2 Mayer, Larry (January 10, 2026). "Three Bears players earn AP NFL All-Pro honors". Chicago Bears . Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  29. ↑ Noble, Kole (January 10, 2026). "Three Bears earn 2025 AP All-Pro honors, including one long-overdue correction after a surprising Pro Bowl snub". A to Z Sports. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
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