Darnell Wrights's Combine Cements His Portfolio
First round prospects carry an array of positives that entice franchises to take them. Age, athleticism, size, injury history, and personal evaluations all play a critical part when judging a prospect, and the NFL Combine helps all of that.
The weekend long event allows front offices to meet face-to-face with players, gather testing data, and see them in different situations. While a strong combine performance isn't the end-all-be-all, there is correlation between strong performances and lucrative NFL careers.
Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright had one of the most athletic performances by an offensive linemen in the past few seasons. Wright logged a 9.47 RAS score, a measure of how players test in comparison to others historically.
Wright now has elite testing data, years of SEC prowess, high school pedigree, and a strong personal evaluation. The Tennessee coaching staff continues to speak highly about the work Wright did on Rocky Top; he anchored the right side for quarterback Hendon Hooker in 2022.
He was one of the unheralded heroes of Tennessee's offense, but not for much longer. Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt and edge rusher Bryon Young turned in fantastic combine performances and may be first round draft picks, but all of a sudden, Wright seems like the top Volunteer.
Hyatt and Young have tangible holes in their game that you can nitpick. While Wright isn't a perfect player, his profile is more complete and it seems like he won't make it past pick No. 25.
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