Vikings could see the debut of their 2021 first-round pick vs. the Browns

There’s a chance that Minnesota Vikings rookie left tackle Christian Darrisaw could see the field during the upcoming Week 4 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

Back in March, the Minnesota Vikings made the decision to release starting left tackle Riley Reiff. Since the 2017 season, Reiff had been a mainstay on the left side of Minnesota’s offensive line.

But even after a solid performance in 2020, the Vikings still felt like it was time to move on from the 32-year-old offensive tackle.

To fill the void left by Reiff, Minnesota used this year’s first-round draft pick on former Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw. Expected by many to begin the 2021 season as the Vikings’ new starting left tackle, Darrisaw has yet to see the field this year for the purple and gold.

Minnesota Vikings rookie Christian Darrisaw continuing to get more reps in practice

For the last few weeks, Minnesota’s top 2021 draft pick has been recovering from a groin injury. As each week has gone by, Darrisaw has been able to do more and more out on the practice field.

This continued to be the case this week as Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer shared in his press conference that the rookie left tackle was going to get more reps in the team’s 11-on-11 portion of practice on Wednesday.

Rashod Hill has been starting at left tackle for Minnesota during the last three weeks, and he’s easily been the weakest part of the team’s starting offensive line this season. If the Vikings think Darrisaw is ready and healthy enough to play on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, then the team could choose to give the rookie his very first NFL start.

Obviously, this will depend on how Minnesota’s rookie blocker progresses in practice this week. But it’s very possible that Darrisaw could be making his first start for the Vikings against Myles Garrett and the Browns.