NFL teams will absolutely love former Vols OL Darnell Wright's reasoning for playing in the Orange Bowl
Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Darnell Wright is in Mobile, AL participating in the Senior Bowl this week. The former Vols standout is viewed by most draft analysts as either a late first-round pick or an early second-round selection. Wright is coming off a brilliant 2022 season in which he didn't allow a sack all […]
Former Tennessee Vols offensive lineman Darnell Wright is in Mobile, AL participating in the Senior Bowl this week.
The former Vols standout is viewed by most draft analysts as either a late first-round pick or an early second-round selection.
Wright is coming off a brilliant 2022 season in which he didn't allow a sack all year despite going up against future top-five draft pick Will Anderson (Alabama) and likely first-round draft pick BJ Ojulari (LSU).
On Wednesday morning, Wright joined 104.5 The Zone's "Ramon, Kayla, and Will" to talk about his time at Tennessee and his NFL future.
Kayla Anderson, one of the hosts of "Ramon, Kayla, and Will", asked Wright specifically why he chose to play in the Orange Bowl against Clemson while many other top draft prospects were opting out of non-playoff bowl games.
Wright gave a no-nonsense answer that NFL franchises will likely love.
"I don't know, I just like playing ball," said Wright. "I thought it would be fun."
That's exactly what NFL teams are looking for in an offensive lineman — a guy who just wants to compete at all times.
Wright didn't have any secret reasons for playing in the Orange Bowl. It wasn't to improve his draft stock or send some message to the draft community. Instead, it was simply because he just wanted to play ball.
I can't think of a more genuine reason for playing in a bowl game than playing purely for the love of the game.
Wright is going to make an NFL general manager look brilliant for drafting him. And he's going to make a bunch of others look foolish for passing on him.
Maybe teams learned from passing on Trey Smith (drafted in the sixth round by the Kansas City Chiefs) a couple of years ago that they shouldn't pass on a former five-star Vols offensive lineman.
Featured image via Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports
