Bears general manager Ryan Poles and offensive line coach Chris Morgan flew to Knoxville, Tennessee, in early April. Their plan? Run Darnell Wright ragged. The 21-year-old Tennessee offensive tackle passed the test as the Bears drafted Wright with the 10th pick on Thursday night.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and offensive line coach Chris Morgan flew to Knoxville, Tennessee, in early April. "We brought him in deep water to see if he could swim or not," Poles said.
"That's probably the most extensive and intensive one-on-one workout that I've heard of in my coaching career," Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said. "We got him exhausted the kid had no fight in him," Poles said."His body language was excellent. He stayed aggressive, finished." 'He has the talent' It would've been easy to leave. Wright arrived in Knoxville as a five-star recruit in 2019. He played as a true freshman and started 16 games over his first two seasons.Former Vols head coach Jeremy Pruitt and the rest of the coaching staff was fired in January 2021 after an investigation found recruiting violations within the Tennessee program. A number of players left the program via the transfer portal.
Heupel and the new coaching staff arrived and moved him to left tackle. With all the transfers and uncertainty created by the coaching change, the Vols needed someone with experience to play left tackle. Wright started all 13 games at left tackle that season and led the team in total snaps.
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