The Chicago Bears have landed some impactful first-round picks under general manager Ryan Poles, including his first in right tackle Darnell Wright back in 2023. Wright, selected 10th overall, has been a consistent cog along the offensive line since his rookie season, and he’s quietly established himself as one of the league’s best right tackles.
It’s safe to say the Bears don’t regret drafting Wright, who’s primed for a contract extension and is a cornerstone on the offensive line alongside left guard Joe Thuney. But what if the 2023 draft happened now three years later?
CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson conducted a re-draft of the 2023 NFL Draft, where the Bears weren’t able to snag Wright before the Arizona Cardinals landed him at sixth overall. Instead, Chicago lands a playmaking running back in Bijan Robinson at 10th overall.
Wrote Wilson: “Without Darnell Wright, the offensive line has some things to address, but Ben Johnson isn’t passing up on Bijan Robinson here.”
The Bears’ duo of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai was a productive one last season, where they led the league’s third-best rushing attack averaging over 140 yards on the ground. But quarterback Caleb Williams did play a factor in that, as well as the revamped offensive line.
If Chicago were to add one of the biggest playmaking running backs to the roster in Robinson, it would elevate the offense to another level. Ben Johnson had Jahmyr Gibbs in Detroit, and we saw how he was able to deploy that offense as the league’s best for a few years.
While the idea of adding Robinson to this run game is an intriguing one, the Bears certainly made the right decision selecting Wright and adding a top right tackle to their offensive line.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears land playmaking running back in 2023 NFL re-draft
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
