Darnell Wright
Chicago BearsOVERPAIDModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
Season Stats · 16 games
Draft & College
He went about where consensus had him.
Comps
STM Take
Three consecutive years of meaningful improvement (#62 to #37 to #14) is the textbook 1st-round OT development arc. At 25 with the contract through 2027 plus a 5th-year option that will be picked up, he is the cornerstone Chicago invested in for the Caleb Williams protection picture. The 2026 trajectory is sustained tier 2 production with tier 1 ceiling.
Wright came out of Tennessee as Chicago's 1st-round pick (10th overall) in 2023 after starting 33 games for the Volunteers at right tackle. The Bears drafted him as the long-term protector of whatever QB they ended up with (he was drafted before Caleb Williams arrived). His rookie 2023 was buried at tier 8 (#62), then a Year 2 jump to tier 5 #37 in 2024 preceded the 2025 tier 2 #14 breakout that established him as a top-15 RT in the league.
Strengths
- Three straight seasons of meaningful STTM improvement (#62, #37, #14) is the cleanest 1st-round OT development arc on the board. Tennessee starter pedigree (33 college starts) confirms the foundation.
- 10th overall draft pick with the 2025 tier 2 #14 finish at age 25 means peak years are still ahead. Ben Johnson's 2025 arrival as HC has stabilized the offensive structure.
Concerns
- Two years of tier 5-or-worse finishes before the 2025 breakout shows the development was non-linear. Rookie season was a real concern at the time.
- Chicago's interior OL is still being rebuilt; if the guard play around him falters, his protection workload increases.
What to watch: Whether his 2026 sack rate stays under 2.5% across a full 17-game season, the threshold that confirms the tier 2 finish was structural improvement.