Darnell Wright Draft Profile

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Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
  • School: Tennessee 
  • Height: 6’6″
  • Weight: 335
  • Position: RT/LT

Darnell Wright is a right tackle displaying power, footwork, and savvy technical skills to mitigate defenders’ pass rush. He played left tackle his junior year, where he displayed dominance by not allowing sacks and being a force in the run game against SEC top competition. Wright’s versatility to play both tackle positions at a high level makes him a valuable depth asset in case of injury or lack of performance to the offensive line.

Strengths

  • Wright displays technical blocking skills by attacking the correct shoulder with hand placement by extending his arms, anchoring, and using his footwork to take the defender off his rushing lane.
  • He displays play recognition by picking up additional defenders on stunts by using his lateral footwork to either finish with a pancake or chip block to help his guard.
  • Has shown that he can play both LT/RT at a high level against top competition of NFL-bound rushers
  • Also is dominant in the run game by pulling with speed and violence upon contact and blocking the correct assignment once he makes it to the second level.


Weakness

  • Leverage and bend upon contact.
  • Overall foot speed on blocking pass rush
  • Overcomes with footwork and proper placement.

 

Overall

Wright is a versatile day 1 NFL starter who is not the best athlete as far as speed and looseness in his hips go. However, he displays violent power, technical hand placement, proper footwork, and football IQ to recognize a variety of blitzes and pass rush stunts. Wright’s ability to overpower defenders will translate to the NFL by going against top competition in the SEC; his ability to be elite at both LT and RT is truly an asset and can be used to either add depth or shut down a defender on either side of the field. The Offensive Tackle is overpowering and uses the proper technique in both pass and run blocking.