Bears Found SEC Quality at Tackle

Bears QB sees the "Wright" stuff in new pass blocker, and GM Ryan Poles saw the technical blocking skills necessary to succeed in the NFL.

The selection of Darnell Wright by the Bears at the 10th spot met with a few positive reactions.

One was by someone very important to their success.

It had Bears quarterback Justin Fields tweeting "Yessirrrr," with a big retweet from Wright's former Tennessee teammate and new teammate, wide receiver Velus Jones Jr.

Wide receiver Darnell Mooney added: "Can't go wrong with a Darnell!"

Yessirrrr https://t.co/waZjBMDBJl

— Justin Fields (@justnfields) April 28, 2023

Fields is the person they brought Wright in to help the most. After being sacked 91 times in two seasons, Fields needs better protection.

Although Wright is viewed as a big, powerful run blocker, GM Ryan Poles called him more of a two-way performer.

Can’t go wrong with a Darnell ! 🤟🏽

— Darnell Mooney (@Darnell_M1) April 28, 2023

"When we talk about pass pro, this is another guy that I think can help us protect even better," Poles said. "Like I talked, anchor is important. With Justin, guys rush a certain way. You want to try to keep the pocket nice and wide. Obviously deep, as well.

"But we just think we can take the next step in pass (protection), as well, and continue to grow in the run game and be balanced."

Wright isn't necessarily the ideal size for tackles in this offense. Many have been in the area of 300 to 310 pounds because they're required to run more in the wide-zone blocking scheme. However, Wright's 333 pounds didn't scare off the Bears because Poles said he carries it well. A 5.01-second 40-yard time says as much.

"Combination of size and athleticism together was another part that made us feel really good about him," Poles said.

The workout Poles and offensive line coach Chris Morgan put Wright through at Tennessee April 8 showed them what they needed to see regarding blocking technique.

"You could see when you're up close to him, you can feel the power," Poles said. "You can feel the size, the anchor, when guys try to really press on him.

"When you're looking at offensive linemen, you want clean hands. He's got some technique to work on, all of them do."

Ultimately, this didn't deter them.

"For us, if we can clean those little details up, hand usage, angles, pad level, we think this guy is the limit," Poles said.

Another key point Poles liked: SEC competition. The Bears had no offensive starters who were from the SEC, the best of the power-5 conferences. In fact, their only defensive starter from the SEC is Eddie Jackson, who is in his seventh NFL season.

There have been 14 SEC national championships this century, including four straight and five of the last six.

"This kid's ability to win against really high-end players, again, made us feel even more convicted with him," Poles said.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven