Vikings Roster Countdown: No. 71 Christian Darrisaw — Elite Young LT

Darrisaw broke out last season as one of the most dominant tackles in football.

Author:
Will Ragatz
Publish date:
Jul 20, 2023 6:22 PM EDT

In this story:

Ahead of the Vikings' 2023 preseason, we'll be taking a look at every player on the 90-man roster, counting down from 99 to 0 (excluding the UDFAs, who we've already profiled). For every player, we'll look at the best and worst-case scenarios and their realistic outlook for the upcoming season.

No. 71: Christian Darrisaw, LT

Age: 24 | Size: 6'5", 315

Sep 19, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw (71) prepares to block against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. — Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, Christian Darrisaw broke out in a big way as one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL. The 2021 first-round pick out of Virginia Tech was incredibly fun to watch every week, using a lethal combination of size, athleticism, and technique to stifle edge rushers. He missed a chunk of time due to concussions in November and December, which likely cost him any individual honors, but Darrisaw absolutely had an All-Pro-caliber second season in the NFL.

Darrisaw waited until Week 6 of his rookie campaign to make his first career start. He was merely solid for his first month or so as a starter, but showed serious progress down the stretch that created elevated expectations for 2022. He shattered those expectations. Darrisaw earned a 90.3 PFF grade last season, which ranked second among all tackles, behind only the great Trent Williams.

This year, Darrisaw is looking to stay on the field for all 17 games — he has a new helmet designed to prevent concussions — while continuing to play at an elite level. If he can do that, he should make his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams. The Vikings have found a star left tackle for the present and future.

Best-case scenario: Darrisaw does exactly what I described in the last paragraph and gets a huge contract extension in 2024.

Worst-case scenario: This could be one of two things. Either concussions remain an issue or Darrisaw takes a slight step back from elite to great as the league makes adjustments to him. Obviously, the former would be a worse situation.

Outlook for 2023: With all due respect to Danielle Hunter, Kirk Cousins, and others, Christian Darrisaw is the Vikings' second-best player behind Justin Jefferson. He's only 24 years old and he looks like he's going to be a star tackle for the next decade. He's that good.

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