Top Offensive Tackle in 2026 NFL Draft Compared to Bears' Darnell Wright

Though he hasn't always been in the limelight, Chicago Bears right tackle Darnell Wright has quietly been one of the team's most consistent players. General manager Ryan Poles caught a lot of flak when he opted to trade back one spot in the 2023 NFL draft and select Wright, rather than selecting defensive tackle Jalen Carter, but Wright's All-Pro breakthrough validates that crucial decision. He arguably could have been an All-Pro in 2024 as well, but the team's overall disappointing finish, coupled with the fact that the interior of Chicago's O-line was a mess, made that a hard sell to the award voters.

That changed in 2025. With a revamped offensive line, most notably the addition of right guard Jonah Jackson through a trade that looks like one of Ryan Poles' biggest wins, Wright finally earned the national attention that he deserves, and that attention is continuing even into the offseason. Jordan Reid, an NFL draft analyst for ESPN, recently contributed to an article that listed pro comparisons for the best prospects in the upcoming 2026 NFL draft. For right tackle Francis Mauigoa, Reid sees him in the mold of Darnell Wright.

"At 6-foot-6 and 329 pounds, Mauigoa has been the model of consistency at right tackle since stepping foot on Miami's campus," Reid writes. "He's as good as it comes in every area, serving as a physical run blocker at the point of attack and a steady pass protector who can quickly cancel out rushers. Similar to Wright, Mauigoa faces questions about if he should move to guard. But I firmly believe Mauigoa has the potential to be a high-level starter at right tackle."

Francis Mauigoa pass pro. Probably a guard in the NFL but he's my OL1 pic.twitter.com/RVorhdKWVe
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) February 12, 2026

Mauigoa is consistently the first offensive lineman off the board in 2026 NFL mock drafts. NFL analyst Peter Schrager published his first-round pick predictions on ESPN on Tuesday, and he has Mauigoa going to the New York Giants at No. 5 overall. In a three-round mock draft created by Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Jordan Reid, and Field Yates, Mauigoa is drafted with the third-overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals.

Any way you slice it, Mauigoa is expected to be a dominant force in the NFL, and comparing such a tantalizing prospect to the Bears' Darnell Wright is a great sign for his future. His All-Pro campaign last season is unlikely to be his last one, and in 2026, with another year in head coach Ben Johnson's system, he could even make a run for the Protector of the Year award.

The Bottom Line

As aforementioned, Wright was a polarizing player among Bears fans after he was drafted, but any such anger should be long gone by now. Wright has proven to be a strong asset for the Bears and played a key role in the Bears' awakening on offense in 2025, and national media analysts using him as a pro comparison for the upcoming draft's top offensive tackle prospect is just one more feather in his cap.

Darnell Wrigh — Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Bottom Line

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