Bears Draft: Grading their 2023 first round selection

The Chicago Bears entered the off-season with the number one pick. They were the worst team in the league so that number one pick was well deserved.

They ended up moving it to the ninth pick in a blockbuster deal with the Carolina Panthers. We all knew that good things could come with that pick as well.

On draft night, however, Ryan Poles had other things in mind. They moved back to pick ten from pick nine and picked up a 2024 fourth-round pick to do so. 

The Philadelphia Eagles came up and selected Jalen Carter who the Bears let get away. They must have not wanted to draft him following all of the off-season issues that he has dealt with.

The Chicago Bears made a huge decision on Thursday night in Kansas City.

With pick ten, the Chicago Bears selected Darnell Wright out of Tennessee. He is an offensive tackle so clearly the organization is committed to protecting Justin Fields. He should be on the offensive line as a starter as soon as 2023.

Wright isn’t one of the most exciting names that people were hoping for but that doesn’t mean that he was the wrong pick. He isn’t going to catch lots of touchdown passes or make big plays as an offensive lineman but he is one of the most important players now.

During his 2022 season with Tennessee, he didn’t allow a single sack. That includes all of the SEC competition that he went up against which is loaded with talent. In fact, it means that he didn’t allow a sack to Jalen Carter or Will Anderson Jr. That is some amazing work for him.

The Chicago Bears are clearly all in on building this thing through the trenches. That is how some of the best teams in the league operate and this pick suggests that it could be the way for them going forward. We will see how the rest of the weekend goes for them.

How would you grade this selection? Well, there are a lot of people that might not like it but Darnell Wright is a very good player at a very important position.

Final Grade: A

Wright is one of the best offensive linemen in the draft which is good news. The Bears also need help desperately with that unit. Hopefully, he lives up to the hype of being the tenth overall pick.