Bears Take a Pass on Jalen Carter

In the end, the Bears didn't want Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter either.

They traded down one spot with the Philadelphia Eagles from No. 9 to No. 10 Friday night and obtained a 2024 fourth-round pick as Carter fell to them. Then, after all the movement that started when they dealt away the draft's first pick in March, they selected Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright.

"I'm in shock. I'm happy, I'm happy," Wright said minutes after his selection. "My head is racing 1,000 mph an hour."

Wright is a 6-foot-5 3/4, 333-pounder who was mainly a right tackle, although he played some at left tackle.

"On tape I'm big and I'm strong but I don't think people realize, once they really get to see more of me they'll really get to see how athletic I am," said Wright, who ran the 40-yard dash in just over five seconds. "I can play both sides if needed."

The Eagles had been willing to give up the Day 3 pick from 2024 in order to have the chance at Carter as a replacement for Javon Hargrave. The veteran defensive tackle went to San Francisco in free agency.

Passing on one of the more talented players in Round 1 of the draft could have been a matter of off-field problems impacting the situation.

Carter was at the scene of a fatal accident and w as charged with racing and reckless driving, both misdemeanors, after a Georgia teammate and staff member were killed in another car. Carter pled no contest to the charges.

Then Carter had a much-discussed poor pro day workout when he was seemingly out of shape and 9 pounds heavier than he'd been at the combine.

The Seahawks at No. 5, Lions at 6, Raiders at 7 and Falcons at 8 also had defensive line needs and passed on Carter, as the Bears did by making their deal for an extra pick in the future.

Wright had made a top-30 visit to Halas Hall and was impressed with Bears offensive line coach Chris Morgan. He also had a private workout April 8 on Tennessee's campus with Morgan.

Wright said he was on the phone with Morgan minutes after the pick.

"They brought me in and he also worked me out," Wright said. "He just kicked my (rear) to be honest. He wanted to see what I was made of. It was hard but I didn't quit.

"I think he respected that."

The game which seemed to put Wright in everyone's minds was the Tennessee win over Alabama.

"I think you can get a small bit of who I am in that game," Wright said.

In it, Wright blocked Will Anderson Jr., who went third overall to the Houston Texans in Thursday's draft. He allowed Anderson no sacks and one pressure.

"I like to play against the best players and I feel like Will is one of the best players in the draft," Wright said. "It was fun and I just know what I can do. You see it on the Alabama tape but you'll see it on all the other tape as well."

The last time the Bears took a tackle in Round 1 it was Kyle Long in 2013 but eventually they moved him to guard.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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