Vikings Trade Pick and Select Christian Darrisaw in NFL Draft
The NFL Draft is always exciting with Rick Spielman in charge at the Vikings, and he delivered again this year by trading the Vikings original first round pick.
Going into the 2021 NFL Draft the Vikings were slated in at the number 14 spot in the first round, but as history tells us, don't count on that. The Vikings and Spielman traded the #14 pick to the New York Jets.
In exchange for the Vikings first-round pick and a fourth-round pick (#143) the Jets gave up their first round pick (#23) and two third round picks (#66 and #86), the Vikings now have 4 third round and 4 fourth round picks and no second round pick, so the Vikings could package up some of those picks and move back into the second round.
When the Vikings were up at #23 they filled a big team need by picking left tackle Christian Darrisaw from Virginia Tech. Darrisaw is 6-foot-5 and 322 pounds and was selected Second-Team All-American honors from The Associated Press and a First-Team All-ACC off his 10 games played in 2020.
Darrisaw played at Riverdale Baptist High School in Maryland and Virginia Tech was the only team that recruited the tackle, and I'd say it worked out well for both. Darrisaw becomes the sixth Virginia Tech player drafted by the Vikings and the only one in the first round.
The Vikings have certainly put a priority on the offensive line over the last several NFL Drafts, in 2018 the team selected tackle Brian O'Neill in the second round in 2018, center Garrett Bradbury in the first round in 2019, and tackle Ezra Cleveland in the second round last year.