KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bears general manager Ryan Poles traded back again, this time just one spot to No. 10, and drafted Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright with his first-ever first-round pick. He picked up the Eagles’ 2024 fourth-round selection in the deal.
The Eagles made the swap to take Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, a player the Bears seemed hesitant on throughout the pre-draft process.
Oregon star cornerback Christian Gonzalez also was available for the Bears at No. 10.
Wright was an all-SEC right tackle last season, but played left tackle before that. The Bears could play him at either position, as coach Matt Eberflus acknowledged they’re open to moving starting left tackle to the right side depending on the draft.
Poles made peace last month with the reality that trading down out of the top pick to No. 9 put the Bears out of range for the draft’s elite prospects.
He and Eberflus believed that quarterback Justin Fields had more potential than any of the players they could’ve picked at No. 1 — “We made a good decision,” Eberflus said — and Poles said it was “not an easy thing” to give up a shot at defensive stars like Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson.
The Panthers used the No. 1 pick they got from the Bears to take Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, and the Texans followed by taking quarterback C.J. Stroud from Ohio State. The Texans also traded up to take Anderson third.
Ohio State left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. was an obvious target for the Bears, but they never got a chance at him. While Johnson was widely projected to be available at the Bears’ spot, the Cardinals — after trading back from No. 3 — traded up to No. 6 to get him.
