Packers.com consulted more than a dozen mock drafts from reputable national outlets and compiled a list of players most frequently mocked as draft selections in the bottom third of the first round (picks 20-32).
Between now and draft day, when the Packers are slated to select at No. 29 overall, those players will be profiled with thumbnail sketches in a new series entitled "Draft Digest."
Today's player is …
Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
Height/Weight: 6-5, 314
Key stats: Allowed zero sacks and just six pressures on 269 pass-blocking snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Started 35 games at left tackle over three years, missing just two contests due to injury.
College honors: Named second-team All-America by The Associated Press and first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference in 2020.
Background: Lightly recruited out of high school, Darrisaw got a single Division I FBS offer, from Virginia Tech, and then spent a year at a military academy for academic reasons before stepping in as a freshman starter at left tackle for the Hokies. His first assignment in that opening game as a freshman? Florida State pass rusher Brian Burns, an eventual first-round draft pick. Darrisaw proved he belonged right away and did nothing but improve over his three years in Blacksburg. He added 15-20 pounds to his frame in college. Some analysts have him rated as high as the No. 2 offensive tackle in this draft, in which case he isn't likely to fall to the bottom half of the round. His PFF pass-blocking numbers (above) are beyond impressive, yet most scouting reports say he's a better run blocker and still needs polish as a pass protector. He's in line to become the first Virginia Tech offensive lineman to be drafted in the first round since Duane Brown in 2008.
Potential fit with Packers: The Packers could use a future offensive tackle capable of backing up both the left and right sides and stepping in as a starter if needed, which might be immediately depending on David Bakhtiari's ACL recovery. Darrisaw would fit that bill. Even though all of his college experience is at left tackle, there's little concern about his ability to play on the right. Given how highly rated he is by some analysts, it could require a trade up for the Packers to acquire him, and if he does fall to the bottom third of the first round, the trading competition could be intense. Then again, those who see a run blocker first with more work to be done as a pass protector see a late first-round fit.
View all the Draft Digest profiles here.
