Darnell Wright

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

Early life
Wright was born on August 10, 2001, in Huntington, West Virginia. He attended Huntington High School where he participated in track & field, football, and basketball. Wright won the 2017 Class AAA State Basketball Championship playing for Huntington High, and won the state title for shot-put in 2018. He was selected his sophomore year for the 2016 Class AAA Football All-State Second Offensive Team, and selected for the 2017 and 2018 Class AAA Football All-State First Offensive Teams. He was named to the roster for the 2019 Under Armour All-America Game. A five-star recruit, Wright committed to play college football at the University of Tennessee.

College career
As a freshman in 2019, Wright played in 11 games and recorded seven starts. He was named to the 2019 Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman Team as a result. Wright made nine starts in 2020 and 13 in 2021. Entering the 2022 season, Wright was projected as a top prospect in the 2023 NFL draft. He was named first-team All-SEC for his performance in the 2022 season. 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. He participated in the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl game representing the American Team under Chicago Bears' Offensive Coordinator, Luke Getsy.

Professional career
Wright was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round as the tenth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Wright started in all 17 games. 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. Wright was additionally selected for the 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team.