Darnell Wright Q&A: Getting to Know the 2023 NFL Draft Prospect

Find out more about offensive lineman Darnell Wright, a top prospect for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Tennessee's Darnell Wright is one of the highest rated offensive linemen available in the 2023 NFL Draft.

In fact, he's my top-rated right tackle, and it's a position the Jets desperately need help at.

Wright took some time out this past week to talk with Jets Country, courtesy of Exos.

For the past 20 years Exos has helped to prepare NFL prospects for the Scouting Combine. To date, they've worked with 1,085 athletes who have been drafted, including 206 first-round picks.

This year, the Scouting Combine, begins on February 28 and it's held in Indianapolis, which is where it's been held annually since 1987.

While evaluating prospects on game film is a huge part of the process, getting to know them personally is also a very important part as well. It's essential from the standpoint of how the prospects will fit on any given team. This is why an opportunity like this one extended by Exos is so significant. Outside of this, there are various post-season All-star games, pro days, as well as 15 minutes teams have to talk with the prospects at the Combine.

Team personnel will ask those who know the prospects questions in an attempt to get to know the prospects themselves better leading up to these events, but there's no substitute for actually hearing from them what they have to say.

Here's what Wright had to say while training for the Combine at the Exos Athletes' Performance Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.

Q: How has Exos been preparing you for the Combine?

Wright: We've done everything from specific training drills to what we're going to do at the Combine. That's what everyone's doing right now. We've been on the board, we've been going over some NFL stuff, like NFL terms. Coming from college your terms might not match up with what the NFL does. We've gone over pretty much everything.

Q: You had scholarship offers from Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State, and Penn State. What made you choose Tennessee?

Wright: It was really just the culture of football there. It speaks for itself, the program really sells itself. They weren't the best program at the time, but the history of the program spoke for itself. It's a culture of football, and everybody, the whole town, everybody loves Tennessee. All of our different sports are good, but we're known for football and that's probably the main reason.

Q: I evaluated your game against Alabama going up against Will Anderson Jr., who's a consensus top-five pick, can you please tell us what that match-up was like from your perspective?

Wright: Yeah, it was just another game with another player, went through my process, broke him down like any other player I break down, and just executed the game plan very good.

Q. What is your why?

Wright: Probably my family and the place that I came from, trying to set an example for the people who look up to me. Nothing too deep.

Q: Do you have a preference of pass blocking or run blocking?

Wright: Run the ball, I want to run the ball. Pass blocking is cool, but I want to run the ball.

Q: Do you have an offensive lineman that you've looked up to in the NFL?

Wright: Trent Williams, because he's a freak athlete and he can do whatever he wants, and he doesn't even need to do the right footwork, he just does whatever he wants, he's just a freak.

Q: What will that moment be like for you when you hear your name called on draft day?

Wright: It will be happy, and it will feel like a good step achieved, but there's still like a long, long journey to go. It will be good, but it won't be the end. 

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