Midseason report for the Minnesota Vikings 2021 rookie class

Christian Darrisaw – LT

• 5 games played
• 3 starts

It took Christian Darrisaw a while to get going this season. He had surgery on his core muscles in the preseason and that set him back quite a bit. He missed the majority of minicamp, training camp, and all of the preseason. He didn’t get to make his debut until about Week 4 against the Browns being part of the field goal unit. Once Darrisaw got his toes in the water, it didn’t take him long to get the rest of his body soaked.

He was in and out of the lineup against the Lions and then got his first start at left tackle against the Panthers, and with the way he’s played, he will hold onto that position for the next decade. Darrisaw has been everything the team could’ve hoped for. He’s opened up large holes in the running game and gotten down the field making blocks to spring big gainers. He’s also been a wall in pass protection giving Kirk Cousins plenty of time in the pocket and keeping his blindside well-protected.

What’s even more impressive about how well Darrisaw has played, is he’s done this against some very good competition. In his first start against the Panthers, he had to ward off Brian Burns, against the Cowboys it was Randy Gregory, and last week against the Ravens he was given Justin Houston duty.

Darrisaw hasn’t been perfect but the fact he’s played so well after missing the majority of camp and coming off of surgery is very impressive. The Vikings have to be absolutely ecstatic about this guys’ future.