The Chicago Bears felt they had a good grasp on who Darnell Wright was as a prospect when they drafted him two months ago. They dug deep into his tape and worked him out hard before the draft. GM Ryan Poles felt this was somebody well-established in his growth and had so much room to keep blossoming. If the Bears were patient and nurtured him in their system, it’s felt he can anchor their offensive line for years to come. The big uncertainty was how quickly he could adapt to the much faster and more competitive NFL level.
Early word is that isn’t a problem. Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago spoke with offensive line coach Chris Morgan about Wright’s progress. By the sound of it, the big tackle is learning far faster than even the coaching staff expected.
Morgan has been impressed with Wright’s ability to digest and retain information early in his Bears tenure. The rookie still has miles to go before he’s ready for live action. It’s an intricate process, but the Bears believe Wright is ahead of schedule in the early stages.
“Understanding the scheme, kind of building, taking it day by day,” Morgan said about what Wright is doing well. “Communicating with his teammates, learning the flow of the day: how we install, how we walk through, how we drill. He’s doing a good job of kind of learning our process.”
“He’s starting to get it,” Morgan said. “Things are coming together. It’s been fun.”
One of the hardest things to do in this game is absorb and retain information. Football is a complicated game. Every player has specific assignments on every play. One small mistake can cause everything to break down. Wright doesn’t seem bothered by that.
Darnell Wright is living up to his reputation.
One of the big reasons the Bears liked him was his mental processor. During their workout with him before the draft, they intentionally tried to make him quit by throwing several plays at him on the whiteboard and then asking him to spit it back out. He didn’t. Wright handled the workload with impressive resilience, showcasing his mental fortitude. That appears to have carried over into minicamps and OTAs. While the Bears haven’t started practicing in pads yet, the 10th overall pick is on top of everything thus far.
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This development could be huge for the Bears. If Darnell Wright can play well right out of the gate, it instantly improves the prospects of their entire offense. Justin Fields was deadly last year during the few times he got adequate protection. It’s why the Bears invested in the offensive line, to begin with. Wright dominated SEC pass rushers for almost two years at Tennessee. It’s scary to think he might not even be playing his best football yet.
