Welcome to the 20th daily installment of the NFL Draft 1-through-32 series on DK Pittsburgh Sports, intended to introduce you, a prospect at a time, to the top 32 players in the class on a consensus basis, leading right up to the main event.
That, of course, will be April 27-29, in Kansas City, Mo., though all 32 teams, including the Steelers on the South Side, will operate from their local headquarters.
NO. 20: DARNELL WRIGHT
Tennessee offensive tackle
Wright is the No. 20-rated player on Pro Football Focus' big board. Likely the best pure right tackle in the draft, Wright has the size and power to make up for what he might lack athletically, though he is versatile and can move across each position of the line.
COLLEGE BACKGROUND
A first-team All-SEC pick after the 2022 season, Wright concluded his career at Tennessee by not allowing a sack over his final 19 games. He was a versatile piece for the Volunteers offensive line, as he played 47 games and made 42 starts. He started 27 games at right tackle, 13 at left tackle, and two at right guard. He saw action on 2,746 offensive snaps in his four seasons.
According to Pro Football Focus, he was one of 14 Football Bowl Subdivision offensive linemen to play more than 850 snaps and not allow a sack and finish with a pass-blocking efficiency of 99.0 or better in 2022.
The Huntington, W. Va., native was a consensus five-star prospect and was the No. 10 overall-rated player in the class of 2019, according to 247Sports. He held 23 offers, including from Penn State. He visited two schools: Tennessee and West Virginia.
Out of high school, he measured at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds and earned a comparison to four-time Pro Bowl lineman Terron Armstead.
NFL COMBINE, PRO DAY
Wright measured at 6-foot-5, 333 pounds with a 33 3/4 inch arm length and a 9-inch hand width at the NFL Combine. His NFL Next Gen Stats grade of 84 ranked third among Combine offensive tackles. He earned a prospect grade of 6.40, which "will become good starter within two years," per the scoring system.
Wright's 5.01-second 40-yard dash tied for sixth among Combine linemen, and his 29-inch vertical tied for 21s among Combine linemen. Ot of the event, NFL analyst Lance Zierlein compared Wright to former first-rounder D.J. Fluker.
He tested a his pro day, but did not really affect his stock one way or another, per reports out of Knoxville.
MOCK DRAFT
The USA Today mock draft consensus tracker has Wright going at No. 23 overall to Minnesota, with an average draft slotting at 23.83. Our own latest mock draft has Wright as an option for the Steelers at No. 17, but ultimately going to Kansas City at No. 31.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE STEELERS' STANDPOINT
Wright is one of the top three tackles in this draft, but if the Steelers want him, they'll have to convince either him or Chukwuma Okorafor to move over to the left side. That's the only way a drafting of Wright makes sense.
COREY'S TAKE
Wright feels like a franchise cornerstone for a team that desperately needs an anchor on their line, but he also feels like a player which can take a good team and make them that much better simply from his presence. His tape is like an IHOP. Pancakes on special. He has seen the best of the SEC and has been consistently a force within that league. He feels like a safe pick in this draft.
THE REST
1. Alabama QB Bryce Young
2. Georgia DT Jalen Carter
3. Alabama DE Will Anderson Jr.
4. Kentucky QB Will Levis
5. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
6. Florida QB Anthony Richardson
7. Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
8. Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson
9. TCU WR Quentin Johnston
10. Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
11. Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski
12. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
13. Pitt DT Calijah Kancey
14. Iowa DE Lukas Van Ness
15. Utah TE Dalton Kincaid
16. Maryland CB Deonte Banks
17. Alabama S Brian Branch
18. Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
19. Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr.
