How did the Vikings top 2021 draft perform in his NFL debut?

Christian Darrisaw, the 2021 first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, made his long-awaited rookie debut in Week 5 and he looked good.

Rookie left tackle Christian Darrisaw finally played some meaningful snaps for the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5 against the Detroit Lions and he looked good. Not just because he was coming in to replace Rashod Hill which doesn’t require much to be considered an upgrade, but Darrisaw actually looked like he could live up to the hype and high expectations coming out of college.

Darrisaw was the fourth tackle taken in this year’s draft, the three taken before have all had a productive start to their NFL careers and each have had a positive impact on their team. Unfortunately for the Vikings and Darrisaw, the rookie tackle hasn’t been given the opportunity due to a lingering injury that required minor surgery earlier this year.

After Sunday’s win over the Lions, Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer said  “[Darrisaw has] still got a ways to go. We’re just trying to break him in easy. It’s really got nothing to do with conditioning now. It’s about practice time.”

Darrisaw went through the majority of the game in Week 5 quietly going about his business unnoticed, a good thing for an offensive lineman.

What do the numbers say about the debut of the Minnesota Vikings rookie?

Darrisaw looked quite good in his first game as a pro and grew in confidence as the game progressed. Darrisaw played 28 snaps in the four drives that he was on the field, and he looked good. 16 of those snaps were passing plays, in which he had a clean sweep of no pressures, no sacks, and no penalties.

What was most impressive about Darrisaw, was his ability to stay calm when under pressure and continue to use proper techniques. Other than one occasion where he let a Lions’ edge rusher free to make a tackle on Alexander Mattison, Darrisaw had almost the perfect game and that was mainly down to his technique.

Vikings fans should be optimistic and excited for their first-round draft pick, if Week 5 was any indication of what is to come, Darrisaw could be the left tackle the Vikings have been looking for over the last few years.