Back in 2021, the Minnesota Vikings made the decision to use their first-round draft pick on former Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw. The hope was that Darrisaw could develop into a reliable franchise left tackle for the Vikings and remain with the team for more than a decade.
Following his first three seasons with Minnesota, it felt like he was heading down that path. But then he suffered a devastating knee injury in 2024, and he hasn't really been the same since.
Things could certainly get back on track for Darrisaw in the upcoming season, but if they don't, the Vikings might do something similar to what a recent early 2027 NFL mock draft has predicted for them.
FanSided's Cody Williams released a new 2027 NFL mock draft on Tuesday that seemed necessary after the major Myles Garrett and A.J. Brown trades that happened last week.
In this mock draft, Williams has Minnesota slotted with the No. 13 pick, and with that choice, he has them selecting Texas offensive tackle Trevor Goosby.
Minnesota Vikings select Texas OT Trevor Goosby in early 2027 NFL mock draft
With it seeming like the Vikings are rolling into another season with Darrisaw as their starting left tackle and Brian O'Neill as their starting right tackle, using a first-round pick on an offensive tackle in 2027 seems a little odd at first glance. But Williams added an explanation to help share why he has Minnesota selecting Goosby.
"The progression for Trevor Goosby at Texas has been quite fun to watch to this point. He was a spot starter in 2024, then came into the 2025 season and continued to take steps forward.
He has the size and length of the prototype at the position, and the Minnesota Vikings would be wise to find some more stability with their offensive line, because that's been a pain point for this team with injuries in recent years."
Listed at 6-foot-7 and 312 pounds, Goosby started 13 games at left tackle for the Longhorns last season. Out of 331 qualifying offensive tackles at the FBS level in 2025, his PFF overall offensive grade ranked 14th, his run blocking grade ranked 11th, and his pass-blocking grade ranked 28th.
According to data from PFF, Goosby allowed three sacks and 16 pressures in his 13 appearances last season. For comparison purposes, current New England Patriots left tackle Will Campbell, who was drafted with the fourth overall pick in 2025, allowed two sacks and 18 pressures in 12 games during his final season at LSU in 2024.
Since Goosby played exclusively at left tackle for Texas in 2025, the Vikings using a first-round pick on him in 2027 would likely signal the end of Darrisaw's tenure with Minnesota. Luckily for the Vikings, Darrisaw's contract becomes a little easier to move on from in 2027.
Ideally, Minnesota would like to keep him on the roster through the 2027 season. But if the 2026 campaign goes poorly for Darrisaw, cutting him with a post-June 1 designation in 2027 would create $8.375 million in cap space and leave them with a reasonable dead cap hit of $19.56 million, according to Over The Cap.
Completing a post-June 1 trade, just like what recently happened with Garrett and Brown, would be the most ideal way to move on from Darrisaw, as that would create $16.75 million in cap space and reduce his dead cap hit down to $11.18 million.
However, if Minnesota is trying to move on from him in 2027 because of a disappointing 2026 season, they would probably struggle to find a trade partner.
Let's just hope Darrisaw is able to look a lot closer to his old self in 2026, and the Vikings don't even have to think about drafting a new left tackle in 2027, as that would make everything so much easier.
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