Vols player selected in 2023 NFL Draft named a perfect scheme fit for new team
There was a lot of talk ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft about Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel's offense and whether or not it translates to the NFL. At times it seemed the conversation from the national media about Heupel's offense overshadowed the actual talent coming out of Tennessee in this year's draft. There's […]
There was a lot of talk ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft about Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel's offense and whether or not it translates to the NFL.
At times it seemed the conversation from the national media about Heupel's offense overshadowed the actual talent coming out of Tennessee in this year's draft.
There's always going to be an adjustment period when players go from college to the NFL. How well that adjustment goes depends on the player more than anything.
Despite the debate over Tennessee's offense under Heupel, one of the Vols players selected in this year's draft was named a perfect scheme fit for his new NFL team.
The Athletic's Ted Nguyen loves how former Vols offensive lineman Darnell Wright, the No. 10 overall pick in the draft last week, fits with the Chicago Bears.
From The Athletic: Wright fits the physical mold that the Bears covet in their offensive linemen. This is a man who plays with bad intentions. He’ll help keep Justin Fieldsupright — he didn’t allow a sack last season at Tennessee — but he’ll also clear holes for Fields on designed QB runs. On The Athletic Football Show, Nate Tice made an excellent point about how much force Wright comes with as a puller and how well that translates to some of the Bears’ QB run concepts.
It doesn't appear there's much concern from the NFL about Wright even though he played his best football at Tennessee during the last two years under Heupel (he played the previous two seasons under Jeremy Pruitt).
Wright may not be a skill position player, but he still played in a "unique" offense at Tennessee that operates a little differently than NFL offenses. The tempo and some of the calls obviously won't be the same at the next level. But none of that bothered the Bears. In fact, Wright's viewed as a perfect fit in a scheme that relies heavily on some traditional NFL concepts.
It feels like I've typed this a lot over the last month, but once again, any questions about Tennessee's offense translating to the NFL are just silly at this point. If a player has the talent to play in the NFL, they'll have a chance to find success, regardless of their college scheme.
