2021 NFL Draft Profile: OT Christian Darrisaw

Depending on who you talk to, Christian Darrisaw is either the second or third best offensive tackle in this draft. The general consensus is that he is third behind the unanimous first, Penei Sewell and RaShawn Slater.

Darrisaw is 6’ 4.6” and weighed in at 322 on his pro-day. His 34.5” inch arms arm good length for NFL offensive tackles. He was lightly recruited out of high school because of concerns over his academics so he ended up spending a year at Fork Union military academy before he was offered a scholarship to Virginia Tech. VPI was his only FBS offer.

Christian was an immediate starter at LT for the Hokies starting 12 games in his first season. He started all 13 games in his second year and only 10 in his final season in Blacksburg. He missed one game due to an ankle injury as a freshman and three games due to knee problems in his final season.

His weight is distributed well which fits the mold of leaner offensive lineman that the Broncos currently have. He is surprisingly quick out of his stance for a man his size. He carries his weight well as a puller and he is very effective at working up to the second level and engaging linebackers. Similar to to Garett Bolles, he can play well even when hurt. His coaches call him “an absolute warrior”.

He played in a zone run scheme in college and his familiarity with pin-and-pull concepts along with his quickness might make him the immediate starter at RT for the Broncos if Ja’wuan James does not return to his 2018 form.

In pass pro, he stays patient in his pass-sets and is effective with his hand-counters. He has physical hands and an effective punch that helps him stone-wall bull-rushers. His hand placement can get sloppy which leads to him giving up ground too quickly. He has been noted to play too passive at times and to play “down to the level of competition.” Some scouts have said he lacks to the killer instinct to bury defenders after he has won at the point of attack.

His patience in pass pro can get him in trouble when he is too slow to react to the rusher’s moves. He can get grabby when that happens. Some scouts say he lacks elite lateral quickness.

His overall prospect ranking averages 17 so he would be a good target for the Broncos if we want to get a RT of the future after trading down from 9. Personally I see RT as a big hole on the roster and Darrisaw would most likely be an immediate starter there.

I like Slater better, but I would be really happy if the Broncos traded down from 9 and get Darrisaw later in the first. I like Sewell best, but it’s highly unlikely that he is still on the board at 9.