2021 Draft Discussion - Bolts Pick 13th

[Topcat]

It's so tempting to trade back and get extra picks.

But we're in a sweet spot for OT. We get to choose our favorite from a gaggle of OT prospects. If it's arm length that is important to us... then Darrisaw. If we don't believe arm length is such a big deal, and we want an elite athlete for our outside zone... then Cosmi. If we want a junkyard dawg... Jenkins.

Once we move back, however, we immediately give up one of those to Minnesota @#14. And then starting @#20, the OT's start flying off the board... Chicago, Indy, Pittsburg, KC... potentially others.

Don't get too greedy... you may miss out on your guy.

Yep...stay at #13 and draft our OT...one of those 3 u mentioned should be there...if Darrishaw goes in top 12 along with Sewell and Slater, I'm guessing our pick is Jenkins...

[Bolt4Knob]

Yep...stay at #13 and draft our OT...one of those 3 u mentioned should be there...if Darrishaw goes in top 12 along with Sewell and Slater, I'm guessing our pick is Jenkins...

If Darrisaw, Slater and Sewell all go top 12 - hmm, that would be interesting. AVT, Jenkins, Little...

[Xenos]

Dont know why Chain likes to make absolutes after rookie seasons. I do think Tua will be better. He just has to get acclimated to the NFL. Burrow will be better and Herbert as well. After year three we will have a good idea. I think Burrow will be a real good one and Tua can be as well....if he can stay healthy. He already missed two games last year being hurt.

This class will be interesting to see. I think Wilson will struggle if he plays as a rookie and i think Lance will struggle a lot IF he plays as a rookie. Jones will have that smaller window thing going on too. We'll se how he adapts compared to Tua.

Also with regards to the bolded part:

Only Siths deal in absolutes!

[Xenos]

If Darrisaw, Slater and Sewell all go top 12 - hmm, that would be interesting. AVT, Jenkins, Little...

Please have Darrisaw go top 12.

[Sgt Schultz]

It’s behind paywall at the Athletic, should be article by Andy Bitter. If memory serves Darrisaw was 6’5 322 and had 34.25 arm length. He did run positional drills.

By Andy Bitter and Daniel Popper Jan 12, 2021 15
In his new mock draft, Dane Brugler of The Athletic projected the Chargers to use the No. 13 overall pick on Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw.

Virginia Tech beat writer Andy Bitter describes Darrisaw’s skill set, and Chargers beat writer Daniel Popper discusses why Darrisaw might be a fit in Los Angeles.
What was Darrisaw to Virginia Tech?


An overlooked high school prospect, Darrisaw was as steady as they come from the moment he arrived in Blacksburg, and he was a three-year starter who was a mainstay guarding the quarterback’s blindside.

He had three offers in high school before Tech came calling — from North Carolina Central, Central Connecticut and Morgan State. He signed with the Hokies and prepped for a year at Fork Union. When he got to Virginia Tech, he became a starter from Day 1, never looking overwhelmed by the role.

Despite various bumps and bruises, he missed only two games in his three-year career, emerging as an athletic and physical presence on the left side of Tech’s line, one capable of getting to the second level and clearing the way for a souped-up Hokies ground game in 2020.

“The thing about Christian is he has been blessed with great hips and great feet, and he’s developed his body into being a strong, powerful body over the years,” Hokies coach Justin Fuente said. “The thing that gives him a chance to be special is that he’s so very intelligent. He just has a really good understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish.”

In a much-anticipated matchup with Miami this fall, the 6-foot-5, 314-pound Darrisaw all but erased Canes defensive end Quincy Roche, who had only a single tackle for a loss on a day when Miami’s line wreaked havoc with six sacks. For his efforts last fall, Darrisaw was a first-team All-ACC pick, the first offensive tackle at Tech to be so honored since 2011.

Darrisaw is not a sexy pick who will have a Chargers fan base doing cartwheels on draft day, but he’s been up to the task and more during every step of the way at a critical position. There’s no reason to think that won’t be the case in the NFL, too.
What could Darrisaw be to the Chargers?


Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said it himself at his end-of-season press conference: “We need to get better up front. Some of it is talent, obviously.” Upgrading the offensive line should and will be a priority for Telesco this offseason, and that includes targeting an offensive tackle in the first round.

The Chargers had one of the worst, if not the worst, offensive lines in the league this season. Giving quarterback Justin Herbert more consistent pass protection and a more consistent running game will be paramount to his continued development in Year 2. Darrisaw would have an immediate impact in both areas. Sam Tevi, the Chargers’ starting left tackle in 2020, is a pending free agent. Even if the Chargers re-signed Tevi, Darrisaw would have a chance to start on the left side as a rookie. Bryan Bulaga is still under contract and will man the right side.

Darrisaw is big, strong and mobile. It is hard to project the specifics of the scheme fit right now because the Chargers are searching for a new head coach, and that almost certainly means a new offensive system. At the very least, the Chargers need more talent, and Darrisaw provides that.

[Sgt Schultz]

From "The Beast"

3. CHRISTIAN DARRISAW | Virginia Tech 6046 | 322 lbs. | JR. Upper Marlboro, Md. (Riverdale) 6/2/1999 (age 21.91) #77 BACKGROUND: Christian Darrisaw was born in Petersburg, Va., as an only child and started playing football at 5-years old. He enrolled at Riverdale Baptist School, a private, Christian institution just east of Washington, D.C., where he was teammates with several FBS-level players, including cornerbacks Zechariah McPhearson and Tariq Castro-Fields, who both signed with Penn State. Darrisaw saw playing time as a freshman and became Riverdale’s starting left tackle as a sophomore. As a senior, he led the team to a 6-5 record, earning All-Region honors. A three-star offensive tackle recruit out of high school, Darrisaw was the No. 171 ranked offensive tackle and the No. 30 recruit in Maryland. He went widely overlooked as a recruit with some programs backing off due to academic questions. Darrisaw received three FCS-level offers from Central Connecticut, Morgan State and North Carolina Central before Virginia Tech entered the picture, inviting him to a camp and offering him a scholarship (his only FBS-level offer). He spent the 2017 season at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia to make sure his grades were on track, enrolling at Virginia Tech in January 2018. Darrisaw elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2021 NFL Draft. YEAR (GP/GS) POSITION NOTES 2017: Fork Union Military Academy (Va.) 2018: (12/12) LT Missed one game due to a right ankle/foot injury 2019: (13/13) LT 2020: (10/10) LT First Team All-ACC; Missed one game due to a left knee injury Total: (35/35) LT HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP COMBINE N/A (Combine canceled) PRO DAY 6046 322 34 1/4 9 1/4 82 1/8 - - - - - - - - (position drills only – choice) STRENGTHS: Girthy, well-distributed frame…quick out of his stance to win body angles and shield defenders…a tad heavy, but stays coordinated mid-shuffle to sit in his stance and remain square to rushers…shows the ability to thud with his physical hands, locking out and stonewalling rushers…stays patient in his pass-sets and uses a flexible coil to push rushers wide of the pocket…balanced once engaged to steer defenders in the run game…carries his weight well as a puller…gets his hips turned in the hole to seal…climbs to the linebacker level and escorts his target away from the play…introverted personality, but work ethic hasn’t been a question for him…his coaches have highlighted his toughness (Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente: “He’s an absolute warrior”)…started all but two games at left tackle the last three seasons. WEAKNESSES: Gives up ground when he doesn’t play strong or accurate with his hands…could improve his base strength with better knee bend at the point-ofattack…doesn’t always dominate his opponent like he should, pushing his target instead of controlling…needs to consistently fight through the whistle, showing the bad habit of winning quickly and then becoming a spectator…will play down to his competition…doesn’t have elite lateral quickness…too reactive at times, leading to grabby hands…missed one game as a junior due to a left knee sprain (November 2020). SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Virginia Tech, Darrisaw lined up at left tackle in offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen’s inside/outside zone scheme. He went widely overlooked as a high school recruit, but he developed quickly and made 35 starts at left tackle for the Hokies the last three seasons, earning the attention of NFL scouts in the process. Keeping his weight over his toes, Darrisaw shows efficient slide quickness in pass pro and he is a bulldozer in the run game, unlocking his hips to create movement or seal block. While he shows the ability to manhandle defenders once he locks on, he tends to hit the cruise control button towards the end and his lack of a killer instinct is unsatisfying. Overall, I wish Darrisaw was a more consistent finisher, but he has outstanding body control and feet for a man his size and shows the technique and torque to be an NFL starter at either tackle or guard. GRADE: 1st Round (No. 17 overall)

[Bolt4Knob]

Please have Darrisaw go top 12.

Not that my personal draft board means a G-Damn thing . And there are many people on this board more advanced with scouting, and even twitter than I am to be sure. But, I will say based on the research I have done, Walker Little is pretty high on my board and its based on a helluva lot of potential. He seems to be a true left tackle.

[powderblueboy]

It's so tempting to trade back and get extra picks.

But we're in a sweet spot for OT. We get to choose our favorite from a gaggle of OT prospects. If it's arm length that is important to us... then Darrisaw. If we don't believe arm length is such a big deal, and we want an elite athlete for our outside zone... then Cosmi. If we want a junkyard dawg... Jenkins.

Once we move back, however, we immediately give up one of those to Minnesota @#14. And then starting @#20, the OT's start flying off the board... Chicago, Indy, Pittsburg, KC... potentially others.

Don't get too greedy... you may miss out on your guy.

A good OT can function in any O - no?

I tried to get into Darrisaw, but after watching more film i always run into something i don't like (and the issue isn't effort).
I didn't like how Virginia Tech kept on aligning the tight end to his left against Notre Dame in 2019; the few times he was asked to handle the edge rusher he got beat at least twice.

Didn't move his feet.

[powderblueboy]

If possible, i'd rather move back and select someone else: Cosmi, Radunz, Little & even Jenkins

[Bolt4Knob]

From "The Beast"

3. CHRISTIAN DARRISAW | Virginia Tech 6046 | 322 lbs. | JR. Upper Marlboro, Md. (Riverdale) 6/2/1999 (age 21.91) #77 BACKGROUND: Christian Darrisaw was born in Petersburg, Va., as an only child and started playing football at 5-years old. He enrolled at Riverdale Baptist School, a private, Christian institution just east of Washington, D.C., where he was teammates with several FBS-level players, including cornerbacks Zechariah McPhearson and Tariq Castro-Fields, who both signed with Penn State. Darrisaw saw playing time as a freshman and became Riverdale’s starting left tackle as a sophomore. As a senior, he led the team to a 6-5 record, earning All-Region honors. A three-star offensive tackle recruit out of high school, Darrisaw was the No. 171 ranked offensive tackle and the No. 30 recruit in Maryland. He went widely overlooked as a recruit with some programs backing off due to academic questions. Darrisaw received three FCS-level offers from Central Connecticut, Morgan State and North Carolina Central before Virginia Tech entered the picture, inviting him to a camp and offering him a scholarship (his only FBS-level offer). He spent the 2017 season at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia to make sure his grades were on track, enrolling at Virginia Tech in January 2018. Darrisaw elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2021 NFL Draft. YEAR (GP/GS) POSITION NOTES 2017: Fork Union Military Academy (Va.) 2018: (12/12) LT Missed one game due to a right ankle/foot injury 2019: (13/13) LT 2020: (10/10) LT First Team All-ACC; Missed one game due to a left knee injury Total: (35/35) LT HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP COMBINE N/A (Combine canceled) PRO DAY 6046 322 34 1/4 9 1/4 82 1/8 - - - - - - - - (position drills only – choice) STRENGTHS: Girthy, well-distributed frame…quick out of his stance to win body angles and shield defenders…a tad heavy, but stays coordinated mid-shuffle to sit in his stance and remain square to rushers…shows the ability to thud with his physical hands, locking out and stonewalling rushers…stays patient in his pass-sets and uses a flexible coil to push rushers wide of the pocket…balanced once engaged to steer defenders in the run game…carries his weight well as a puller…gets his hips turned in the hole to seal…climbs to the linebacker level and escorts his target away from the play…introverted personality, but work ethic hasn’t been a question for him…his coaches have highlighted his toughness (Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente: “He’s an absolute warrior”)…started all but two games at left tackle the last three seasons. WEAKNESSES: Gives up ground when he doesn’t play strong or accurate with his hands…could improve his base strength with better knee bend at the point-ofattack…doesn’t always dominate his opponent like he should, pushing his target instead of controlling…needs to consistently fight through the whistle, showing the bad habit of winning quickly and then becoming a spectator…will play down to his competition…doesn’t have elite lateral quickness…too reactive at times, leading to grabby hands…missed one game as a junior due to a left knee sprain (November 2020). SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Virginia Tech, Darrisaw lined up at left tackle in offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen’s inside/outside zone scheme. He went widely overlooked as a high school recruit, but he developed quickly and made 35 starts at left tackle for the Hokies the last three seasons, earning the attention of NFL scouts in the process. Keeping his weight over his toes, Darrisaw shows efficient slide quickness in pass pro and he is a bulldozer in the run game, unlocking his hips to create movement or seal block. While he shows the ability to manhandle defenders once he locks on, he tends to hit the cruise control button towards the end and his lack of a killer instinct is unsatisfying. Overall, I wish Darrisaw was a more consistent finisher, but he has outstanding body control and feet for a man his size and shows the technique and torque to be an NFL starter at either tackle or guard. GRADE: 1st Round (No. 17 overall)

He said the same thing about Slater - guard or tackle. Dan Brugler might even have said it about TEven Jenkins
the optiomn of being an OT or an OG
I want a TRUE LEFT TAckle. Period

[Boltjolt]

From "The Beast"

3. CHRISTIAN DARRISAW | Virginia Tech 6046 | 322 lbs. | JR. Upper Marlboro, Md. (Riverdale) 6/2/1999 (age 21.91) #77 BACKGROUND: Christian Darrisaw was born in Petersburg, Va., as an only child and started playing football at 5-years old. He enrolled at Riverdale Baptist School, a private, Christian institution just east of Washington, D.C., where he was teammates with several FBS-level players, including cornerbacks Zechariah McPhearson and Tariq Castro-Fields, who both signed with Penn State. Darrisaw saw playing time as a freshman and became Riverdale’s starting left tackle as a sophomore. As a senior, he led the team to a 6-5 record, earning All-Region honors. A three-star offensive tackle recruit out of high school, Darrisaw was the No. 171 ranked offensive tackle and the No. 30 recruit in Maryland. He went widely overlooked as a recruit with some programs backing off due to academic questions. Darrisaw received three FCS-level offers from Central Connecticut, Morgan State and North Carolina Central before Virginia Tech entered the picture, inviting him to a camp and offering him a scholarship (his only FBS-level offer). He spent the 2017 season at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia to make sure his grades were on track, enrolling at Virginia Tech in January 2018. Darrisaw elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2021 NFL Draft. YEAR (GP/GS) POSITION NOTES 2017: Fork Union Military Academy (Va.) 2018: (12/12) LT Missed one game due to a right ankle/foot injury 2019: (13/13) LT 2020: (10/10) LT First Team All-ACC; Missed one game due to a left knee injury Total: (35/35) LT HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP COMBINE N/A (Combine canceled) PRO DAY 6046 322 34 1/4 9 1/4 82 1/8 - - - - - - - - (position drills only – choice) STRENGTHS: Girthy, well-distributed frame…quick out of his stance to win body angles and shield defenders…a tad heavy, but stays coordinated mid-shuffle to sit in his stance and remain square to rushers…shows the ability to thud with his physical hands, locking out and stonewalling rushers…stays patient in his pass-sets and uses a flexible coil to push rushers wide of the pocket…balanced once engaged to steer defenders in the run game…carries his weight well as a puller…gets his hips turned in the hole to seal…climbs to the linebacker level and escorts his target away from the play…introverted personality, but work ethic hasn’t been a question for him…his coaches have highlighted his toughness (Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente: “He’s an absolute warrior”)…started all but two games at left tackle the last three seasons. WEAKNESSES: Gives up ground when he doesn’t play strong or accurate with his hands…could improve his base strength with better knee bend at the point-ofattack…doesn’t always dominate his opponent like he should, pushing his target instead of controlling…needs to consistently fight through the whistle, showing the bad habit of winning quickly and then becoming a spectator…will play down to his competition…doesn’t have elite lateral quickness…too reactive at times, leading to grabby hands…missed one game as a junior due to a left knee sprain (November 2020). SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Virginia Tech, Darrisaw lined up at left tackle in offensive coordinator Brad Cornelsen’s inside/outside zone scheme. He went widely overlooked as a high school recruit, but he developed quickly and made 35 starts at left tackle for the Hokies the last three seasons, earning the attention of NFL scouts in the process. Keeping his weight over his toes, Darrisaw shows efficient slide quickness in pass pro and he is a bulldozer in the run game, unlocking his hips to create movement or seal block. While he shows the ability to manhandle defenders once he locks on, he tends to hit the cruise control button towards the end and his lack of a killer instinct is unsatisfying. Overall, I wish Darrisaw was a more consistent finisher, but he has outstanding body control and feet for a man his size and shows the technique and torque to be an NFL starter at either tackle or guard. GRADE: 1st Round (No. 17 overall)

These are my only concerns and yet another one who see's it. But that should be coachable i would think.

[Boltjolt]

He said the same thing about Slater - guard or tackle. Dan Brugler might even have said it about TEven Jenkins
the optiomn of being an OT or an OG
I want a TRUE LEFT TAckle. Period

You never know who pans out and who excells where. But in your case that you keep saying, ....the best thing to ensure this, is to trade up for Sewell.

You do know that is isnt unusual for a OT to come in the league and play a season at OG before they go out to LT or RT. Jonothan Ogden did that his rookie season as has others. I think Tunsil did as well at LG. So did La'el Collins. Many have but i know we need a LT at LT right away.

I get what your saying but ive no problem with Slater. Love his feet which to me helps that 33" arm length that Staley had and Thomas. Sewell is only 1/4" longer.