Christian
Darrisaw.
Christian
Darrisaw.
Virginia Tech
"A three-year Virginia Tech left tackle with the length, feet and finishing temperament of a franchise blindside. The kind of pick that makes a war room look smart three years from now."Pre-draft read
This left tackle prospect positions himself for deep-set pass protection, utilizing a substantial anchor to withstand bull rushes. He employs refined hand technique, consistently resetting with an active wrist and delivering an effective punch. He maintains a light kick-slide, adeptly mirroring opponent's movements without oversetting and redirecting inside against stunts while preserving balance.
In the run game, he generates strong front-side drive blocks and achieves consistent climb angles to the second level. He plays with a determined finish, driving defenders off the line in gap and duo schemes, often uprooting interior linemen on down blocks. His length and independent hands allow him to win initial contact, reset against half-man attempts, and lock out longer-armed edge rushers.
Pro-style NFL run-heavy offense prioritizing outside zone and pin-pull schemes with some gap/duo concepts.
Year 1 starting left tackle with a ceiling to be a multi-year Pro Bowl-caliber blindside protector.
An Air Raid or pass-heavy spread RPO scheme that asks him to hold blocks for extended periods against elite competition.
A scheme that maximizes his natural power and athleticism in the run game while protecting his anchor weakness against bull rushes will unlock his ceiling.
Virginia Tech LT Christian Darrisaw vs Notre Dame (2019)
Christian Darrisaw NFL Draft Tape | Virginia Tech OL
Christian Darrisaw Film Session, NFL Draft Prospect Watch
This prospect projects as a long-term starting left tackle, offering a team a franchise cornerstone for protection. His athletic profile, characterized by his frame and movement skills in pass protection, suggests he can handle high-level competition on the blindside.
He emerged as a three-year starter at left tackle for Virginia Tech, developing from a redshirt freshman into a dominant player by his junior season. In an abbreviated 2020 season, he allowed only four sacks over 400-plus pass-protection snaps, earning a top-tier PFF grade and first-team All-ACC honors, despite limited exposure to premier pass rushers.
Evaluators consistently placed him as one of the top offensive tackle prospects, often second only to the consensus top tackle. While concerns existed regarding his overall athleticism not being elite and his exposure to top-tier competition, the consensus positioned him as a strong first-round talent, suggesting a multi-year starter with a high positional ceiling. He was drafted as the 23rd overall pick.
- 01
Build & Set Quickness
Has substantial arm length and natural knee bend, using a quick vertical set to counter speed rushers effectively.
- 02
Pass Protection Footwork
Demonstrates a light kick-slide, adeptly mirroring counter moves without oversetting or losing balance on stunts.
- 03
Run Blocking Finisher
Consistently drives defenders off the line of scrimmage, finishing through the whistle, particularly effective on down blocks.
- 04
Hand Usage & Length
His exceptional length and independent hands win initial contact, reset against rushes, and anchor against long-armed defenders.
- 05
Athleticism in Space
Shows strong athletic ability, climbing to the second level, adjusting to moving targets, and leading on pulls and zones.
- 01
Anchor Point
Can be walked back by bull rushes when his pad level is high, requiring earlier hip sink for re-anchoring.
- 02
Hand Placement
Punch occasionally drifts outside the defender's frame, increasing the risk of hold penalties at the next level.
- 03
Functional Strength
Needs to add functional mass to his frame to prevent being stacked and shed by powerful interior pass rushers.
- 04
Competition Exposure
Limited exposure to elite speed-power rushers raises questions about handling top NFL pass rushers.
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Virginia Tech | 13 |
| 2019 | Virginia Tech | 13 |
| 2020 | Virginia Tech | 10 |
| Career | — | 36 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Smooth blindside starter whose athleticism and length translate quickly, even if he is more steady than dominant early.
Big, fluid left tackle with rare movement skills and the power to become a true tone-setter if the temperament stays engaged.
Toolsy starting tackle whose flashes are obvious, but whose consistency and finish leave coaches wanting more.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
2021 (rookie, MIN): 12 starts (late start due to injury), All-Rookie honorable. 2022: 16 starts, 84 PFF grade, top-15 LT. 2023: 16 starts, Pro Bowl, 88 PFF grade — top-10 LT in the sport. July 2024: 4-year/$113M extension ($81M guaranteed). October 2024: torn ACL Week 8, season-ending. 2025 (MIN): return Week 4, back to Pro Bowl level by midseason. Career_av: 34.
Darrisaw is one of the cleanest evaluations of the 2021 class outside the top-10, and the post-draft arc has confirmed the bull case almost perfectly. Virginia Tech took him as a 3-star recruit and developed him across three starting seasons at LT — 2018 rookie starter despite a redshirt design, 2019 sophomore breakout, 2020 dominant across an abbreviated season. That 2020, with 10 games, 4 sacks allowed on 400+ pass-pro snaps and an 89.6 PFF grade (top-3 college tackle), was top-15 LT tape in the entire class alongside Sewell and Slater. The pro day confirmed ideal LT biometrics: 6'5", 313 lbs, 34 3/8" arms and top-tier class athleticism (4.98 forty, 8.06 three-cone). Pre-draft consensus had him OT2 behind Sewell — the Trent Williams ceiling was in the conversation thanks to hand technique and anchor.
Rick Spielman in Minnesota traded back within round 1 (from #14 to #23) and grabbed Darrisaw at the exact pick Buffalo had originally targeted for Gregory Rousseau — one of the cleanest steals of the round. The bear case was small and honest: upper-middle but not elite athleticism, short top-5 college sample (no Ohio State, no Alabama), a 2019 calf issue costing him a game.
The post-draft arc has hit the prime ceiling. Rookie 2021: 12 starts (started late due to injury), All-Rookie honorable. 2022: 16 starts, 84 PFF grade, top-15 LT in the sport. 2023: 16 starts, Pro Bowl, 88 PFF grade — protector of Kirk Cousins and then Sam Darnold as a top-10 LT. July 2024: 4-year/$113M extension ($81M guaranteed) — second-largest OT contract in history behind Slater and Trent Williams. October 2024: torn ACL in Week 8, season-ending. 2025: return Week 4, back to Pro Bowl level by midseason.
The likely Whitworth comp is being confirmed; the high Trent Williams comp is still in play if he sustains the level post-ACL. It's exactly what Spielman bought at #23: a franchise LT for 10+ years with a top-15-at-position floor.