Analyst says surprise OL has potential to be ‘best overall player’ in the draft

Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr., Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski and Georgia’s Broderick Jones are projected to be the top three offensive tackles off the board in the 2023 NFL Draft, but ESPN’s Louis Riddick believes there’s another tackle who could end up being better than them all.

In a recent column, Riddick listed his favorite draft prospects and sleepers to watch where he singled out University of Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright.

“Wright's move from left tackle to right tackle in 2022 might have turned a good college football player into a top-15 overall draft pick,” Riddick said. “And to take it a step further, his size, speed, aggressiveness and physical style put him in consideration to end up the best overall player of this draft class when it's all said and done. I believe Wright will be an All-Pro within his first three seasons. He has that much potential.”

Projected to be a late first-round pick, Wright is one of the more versatile offensive lineman in the draft, starting 27 games at right tackle, 13 at left tackle and two at right guard. The 6-foot-5, 333-pounder allowed just eight pressures and no sacks while playing 507 pass-blocking snaps across 13 games in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus.