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Entering the process, Wright’s expectation was that he would be a late-round selection. But now he saw quarterbacks projected to go ahead of him falling. This couldn’t be good.
“I was getting calls in the fifth, sixth and seventh round,” Wright said. “But when I saw those guys like John David (Booty) that weren’t going like everybody else expected, I knew that was going to drop me a little from where I was expected to go.”
And that was enough to drop Wright out of the draft.
Instead, he signed as a free agent with the Vikings. Wright did so knowing his new team already has four quarterbacks, including Southern California’s Booty, a fifth-round draft pick who will battle Brooks Bollinger for the No. 3 job. Tarvaris Jackson is the starter and veteran Gus Frerotte will be the primary backup.
This left Wright without much margin for error as he put on a Vikings uniform for the first time last weekend for a three-day rookie minicamp. Wright’s goal is simple.
“Just to come in and make the team in some form or fashion — either (that or) being on the practice squad,” he said. “They’ve approached me and asked if I could hold (on field-goal attempts). I said I’d never done it but I’d be willing to learn. Really, just being a part of this organization in anyway possible.”
The pressure Wright will face is nothing new. The nation’s most highly recruited quarterback coming out of Monte Vista High in Danville, Calif., in 2003, he was the Hurricanes’ starter for much of the past three seasons and handled his share of difficulties and disappointments.
This included a nearly annual turnover at offense coordinator, as well as a head coaching change.
New Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon decided to start Kirby Freeman over Wright last season, but he reclaimed the job after Freeman struggled early on. In 10 games in 2007, Wright completed 141 of 241 passes for 1,747 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Knee and ankle injuries forced him to miss one game last season — Wright missed the final four games of 2006 because of a broken thumb — and slowed him at other times.
The fact Wright had to adjust to the different schemes put in by Miami’s various coordinators and could have slowed him. But Wright doesn’t see it that way.
“I think that’s an advantage that I have,” Wright said. “It seemed like in every offense I was learning something new. This offseason is no different. I’m just excited to come to a new place and get a fresh start and have fun with the opportunity.”
One reason Wright jumped at the chance to sign with the Vikings was because of his relationship with quarterbacks coach Kevin Rogers. A candidate to become Miami’s offensive coordinator in December 2006, Rogers was an assistant at Virginia Tech when Wright arrived in college, so the two faced each other as conference rivals. Wright and Rogers hit it off at the NFL Scouting Combine last February in Indianapolis and stayed in touch thereafter.
Vikings coach Brad Childress also was impressed by the 6-4, 220-pound Wright at the combine, especially after getting a long look at him during drills. Wright was one of the quarterbacks designated to throw passes to every group, meaning Childress, Rogers and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell had plenty of time to study his mechanics.
As for Wright’s future with the Vikings, Childress said: “His role will define itself. He’s played big-time football so he’s been in some of those arenas. He’s got a nice throwing motion and we’ll see if we can get him some snaps in a few preseason games.”
