Christian Darrisaw is an offensive tackle from the University of Virginia Tech. At 6’5 320 lbs he has the ideal frame for an offensive tackle, and he plays like a big guy too, pushing around his competition. He’s so strong that he can afford to be calm and never get out of control, while still being able to control rushers with his phenomenal strength. He’s going to be a good solution on the offensive line for some team. 

Strengths: 

  • Great Size

Christian Darrisaw has the perfect size for an offensive tackle. At around 6’5 320 lbs he has the ideal size for an offensive tackle. He also has nice and long 34 inch arms which allow him to land outreach opponents.

  • Quick Feet

For a guy as big as Darrisaw is, he has extremely quick feet. He gets depth in the kick slide very quickly and his quick feet also allow him to move to multiple defenders on the second level. 

  • Great Footwork

Christian Darrisaw has great footwork that is very consistent in his kick slide and allows him to gain ground backward. He also does a great job with his footwork when mirroring speed rusher and he makes sure to keep his body square to the defender.

  • Great Balance

Christian Darrisaw has truly great balance and a very strong anchor. Offensive lineman’s punches seem to barely affect him at all but Even when he’s delivering punches he stays balanced and makes sure not to be too aggressive.

  • Tough to Disengage From in Pass Pro

Once Darrisaw latches onto a defender in pass protection it is very tough to disengage. He has so much functional strength and once he gets a grip it’s over for the pass rusher. 

Weaknesses: 

  • Bad Hand Placement and Timing

Christian Darrisaw is so strong and his hands pack a big punch but unfortunately his hand placement is less than great. He also has a tendency to punch late as well because his hands start too low. 

  • Leaves His Body Open too Often

This is one of the issues that stems from his bad hand usage. His hands start off so low and they’re not the most active hands in the world, which really leaves his chest exposed for offensive linemen to punch.

  • Doesn’t Finish Plays

Christian Darrisaw has the problem of being too calm when he’s playing and not having that nasty finishing attitude. In pass pro it makes him very controlled but in the run game oftentimes it leads to him not finishing blocks and letting defenders escape, letting them back into the play.

Player Comp: I think that Christian Darrisaw is very similar to Ja’Wuan James without the injuries, and he’ll also be a left tackle rather than a right tackle. Both guys have great size for the position, with ideal size and long arms and they combine it with great foot quickness and footwork. Both guys also have great balance and a strong anchor, and have great grip strength and are tough to disengage from in pass pro. Their weaknesses of having inconsistent hand placement and leaving their chest open is also very similar, and if Darrisaw gets his hand placement problem fixed he will certainly be a better player than James.

Final Thoughts: Christian Darrisaw is a guy that I’m around the general consensus on. Most people see him as a guy who should go somewhere near the middle of round one and I kind of have the same opinion. I think I might have him a couple spots higher on my big board than many but overall I don’t have that much of a different opinion on Christian Darrisaw. Any team that needs a left tackle would be a good fit for Darrisaw, and the Vikings are sitting at Pick 14 and I think that Darrisaw would be a great pick for them.