Chicago Bears Move Down One Spot And Get Help For Fields

The Chicago Bears got in the middle of the action in the 2023 NFL Draft by trading down. With that pick, they get help for quarterback Justin Fields.

The 2023 NFL Draft has kicked off and the Chicago Bears are already in the thick of the action. After trading away the top pick in the draft, they owned the ninth overall pick.

Poles worked the phones, however, and ended up trading down one spot. He traded the ninth pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 10th pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick.

With the 10th pick, the Bears select offensive tackle Darnell Wright. Wright became a popular name as draft day neared.

This pick helps quarterback Justin Fields. Fields is entering his third season so the Bears need to see what they have in him. He had a historic season in 2022, but it was done with his legs. He amassed the second-most rushing yards by a quarterback in a season in NFL history.

Now Chicago needs to see what he could do with his arm. Poles already added a wide receiver, a tight end, a couple of running backs, and an offensive guard. The one glaring need they still had was at right guard.

Wright profile

Wright becomes the starter at right tackle from Day 1. He is a big guy at 6-foot-5, 333 pounds. He is a tough, strong lineman who brings some nastiness to the unit.

Wright has good footwork and is pretty athletic for his size. He uses his size well. He drives the defender right out of the play. Fields and the running backs will be happy with him. He will blast open holes for whoever is running the ball. In the passing game, he stays square to the defender and can shut him down whether the defender uses brute force or tries to finesse him.

Wright does a good job of using his length to redirect pass rushers. When they try to cut back inside, he has the footwork to keep up with them and keep them off the quarterback. In 2022, he gave up zero sacks.

One of the top pass rushers in the draft, Will Anderson Jr, was the third pick. When he went up against Wright he came nowhere near the quarterback. Anderson tried everything he could to get past Wright but nothing worked.

Anderson later said that Wright was the toughest offensive lineman he ever went up against in his college career.

Wright ran a 5.01-40 so he has some quickness. He can get into the second level quickly and obliterate linebackers there. Additionally, he has heavy hands that jolt pass rushers off the snap. He’ll knock them off balance and that helps the quarterback.

Many analysts speculated that the Bears would go after either Paris Johnson Jr or Jalen Carter. However, Johnson went to the Arizona Cardinals at six.

Carter was available at nine but Poles figured that offensive tackle was a bigger need. The Eagles coveted Carter so they called and a deal was made.

Now the Bears’ attention goes to the second and third rounds. They have the 53rd, the 61st, and the 64th picks in those rounds. Day 2 of the NFL Draft begins April 28th at 6 PM Central.