Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones highlight Bears' intriguing NFL draft calculus
Schrock: Wright, Braxton, and Bears' intriguing OT draft calculus originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
For the past month, the conversation around the Bears and their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has focused on three things: the chance to gamble on Jalen Carter, the possibility of trading down, and the need to secure a franchise tackle.
The Bears had Carter in for a top-30 visit, and general manager Ryan Poles remains open to trading down from No. 9. But with two weeks to go until draft day, the Bears' most likely course of action appears to be addressing the tackle need at No. 9.
That conversation has focused mainly on the three left tackle options in Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr., Georgia's Broderick Jones, and Northwestern's Peter Skoronski. That line of thinking is embedded in the belief that Skoronski, Jones, and Johnson are the top three tackles in the class and that the Bears prefer to move Braxton Jones to the right side of the offensive line.
The reasoning behind those beliefs is sound. But what if the opposite is true?
Poles and Eberflus praised Jones for his work last season, in which the fifth-round rookie tackle played every offensive snap for the Bears. Poles and Eberflus have said they'd be open to bringing in competition at the left tackle spot or potentially moving Jones to the right side. But their constant praise signals a belief in Jones' ability to improve during his first full NFL offseason and perhaps become a foundational piece.
"I was proud of Braxton," Poles said at his end-of-season press conference. "He’s got a long ways to go to reach his ceiling but for his path, and if you look … not many people look at the schedule for a player who goes into the offseason, Senior Bowl, combine, comes in as a fifth-round pick, battles through camp, gets a spot and then plays every single snap through the season. That’s an accomplishment right there. That tells me he’s wired right. He’s got mental toughness, roll the ups and downs. So I’m hoping that he continues to work on his body, his technique and that’s someone that we can play with and be successful with for a while."
The Bears would like to bring in someone to push Jones, but perhaps not someone to outright move him.
From Weeks 1 to 6, Jones was among the worst pass-protecting tackles in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. Jones allowed 11 pressures and four sacks in just 103 pass-blocking snaps in those first six games. All four of those sacks and 10 of those pressures came in true-pass sets where Jones ranked dead last in efficiency at 81.1.
But players are allowed to improve. In the final 11 games of the season, Jones gave up just 20 total pressures and three sacks in 362 pass-blocking snaps. Jones allowed two sacks and 13 pressures in true-pass sets for an efficiency rating of 93.8. That efficiency number ranked 39 out of 53 tackles with at least 300 pass-block snaps in that period.
In the final five games of the season, Jones gave up just eight total pressures and two sacks. Those numbers rank 15th and 30th among the 54 tackles with at least 150 pass-block snaps in the final five weeks. In true pass sets, Jones gave up five pressures and one sack, good for an efficiency rating of 95.5, ranking 25th.
Jones steadily improved throughout the season, and it's fair to assume that Poles and Eberflus would like to give him a full offseason to see what kind of leap he can take at left tackle before automatically flipping him to the other side.
If the Bears prefer to leave Jones on the left side in 2023, that opens the door for them to take a different tackle at No. 9.
Enter Darnell Wright.
The fast-rising Tennessee tackle is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign in which he allowed just eight pressures in 507 pass-block snaps while not giving up a sack and surrendering a pressure rate of just 1.7 percent.
The 6-foot-6, 335-pound tackle with 33 3/4-inch arms ranked fourth in the country last year in pass-block efficiency while being one of the most impressive run-blockers in the country. Wright is an impressive athlete for his size. He ran a 5.01 40 at the combine while posting a 29-inch vertical and 9-foot-6-inch broad jump. Explosive.
Wright was also the only tackle in the country who stonewalled Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson.
Wright has the versatility to play guard or left tackle, but he has the traits and tape that scream future All-Pro right tackle. He also has over 2,000 snaps of experience at the college level. In a relatively inexperienced tackle class, that could be the tie-breaker.
The Bears had Wright in for a top-30 visit recently, and the Tennessee product has gone from a likely late first-rounder to a potential top-20 pick who would seem to be a good fit for the Bears, who have a gaping hole at right tackle.
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Johnson and Broderick Jones could very well turn into elite left tackles. I'd argue Broderick Jones' ceiling is the highest of any offensive tackles in the class. I don't think the Bears can go wrong taking Broderick Jones or Johnson at No. 9. It would check an important box for the rebuild.
But if there is a real belief that Braxton Jones' steady improvement last season foreshadows a big leap in 2023, then selecting Wright, either at No. 9 or after a slight trade-down, should be an appealing move for the Bears.
It gives them a right tackle for the future with an All-Pro ceiling while allowing Jones to show what he can do with an entire season of experience and offseason of training under his belt.
The question the Bears have to answer is: How good can Braxton Jones be if given runway at left tackle? They might not put a ceiling on their players but they have to have a gauge of his potential. If they think he can be a top-12 left tackle, then he should get the chance to hit that mark. But if they belief he's a league-average or below starter then a different draft decision, one that doesn't involve Wright, is needed.
