The Trench Warfare 2023 NFL Draft Film Room - Episode 1 featuring Tennessee RT Darnell Wright
Welcome everyone to the first edition of the 2023 NFL Draft film room series where I sit down with OL prospects in the upcoming draft class. The intent is to shine a light on each player’s story and skill-set while watching their college film together. The focus will be on the best competition they faced to best assess the strengths of their game and what they can rely on during their pro careers.
We will discuss technique, scheme, dive into opponents and take you inside their preparation leading up to the game and how they processed information in real time. During our talks, players often share unique anecdotes and stories from the game and their careers that you can only find here on Trench Warfare.
This first episode I was thrilled to welcome one of ‘my guys’ in the 2023 class: Darnell Wright, a former five-star recruit that bounced around from right guard to left tackle before ascending and having the best year of his career at right tackle for the Volunteers this past season. Trench Warfare supporters know that I favor linemen with size, power, play strength and nasty demeanors, which are traits that Wright has in spades. These qualities are becoming increasingly valuable in today’s NFL for O-linemen as the power-run game shifts more into vogue given the defensive emphasis on speed (and subsequent de-emphasis on size).
Furthermore, it is Wright’s balance and ability to absorb force, recover and maintain his base against power at nearly 340 pounds that really sold me on his projection to the pro game as a potential impact starter. For a more granular view on Wright as a player and how I arrived at his draft grade you can check out my scouting report on him for Bleacher Report here.
Below are some of the topics discussed during the film room:
Wright’s journey at Tennessee
His time spent at OL Masterminds and why it is important to him to return again this summer
Where Wright’s physically imposing, tone-setting demeanor comes from
Video preview
Breaking down performances against future first-round picks Will Anderson and B.J. Ojulari
Why Ojulari was the opponent he was most nervous to face this season
Adjusting his technique and tailoring his approach based on opponent
Wright’s bench press numbers and why people shouldn’t be surprised or alarmed when he doesn’t ‘blow up’ the combine in this specific drill
Dissecting nuanced aspects of technique such as posture, keeping your head out of the block, hip-height, snatch-trap and much more
Miss prior NFL Draft player film rooms?
Full Darnell Wright film room:
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