Christian Darrisaw Enjoys a Certain Rookie QB

Revamp in Order
Ezra Cleveland and Christian Darrisaw

It doesn’t necessarily have to be for the Minnesota Vikings, but left tackle Christian Darrsiaw is high on a rookie quarterback from the 2023 NFL Draft.

His name is Hendon Hooker, and the man could be scooped out of April’s draft anywhere from Round 1 to 4.

Christian Darrisaw Enjoys a Certain Rookie QB

Darrisaw posted to his Instagram story a photo of Hooker in his college grab with a caption of QB1.

It is unclear if Darrisaw is endorsing Hooker as the Vikings eventual QB1 or merely embracing the Volunteer as some team’s quarterback of the future.

Darrisaw Enjoys
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports.

Darrisaw, 23, joined the Vikings in the 2021 NFL Draft and has solidified Minnesota’s trenches on the left side since. In fact, the Vikings hadn’t employed a stalwart left tackle since Bryant McKinnie left the team in 2011 later to win a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens. In that vein, Darrisaw is a godsend.

And he’s evidently high on Hooker, who could become a Viking late in April. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has five draft picks — one in the 3rd Round where Hooker could be reasonably plucked — a quarterback entering his contract’s final year, and the enthusiasm of a fanbase ready to scout “the next guy.”

Bryan Lynn-USA TODAY Sports.

Once the draft + media community figured out that Kirk Cousins had just one year left on his deal, Minnesota selecting a quarterback in four weeks absolutely seized the mock-draft arena. Hooker is a popular option.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com explained in his latest mock draft, “The Vikings have been doing their homework on this quarterback class. Hooker is well-liked around the league and he could sit for a year behind Kirk Cousins before taking over and ushering in a new era for Kevin O’Connell.”

Grabbing Hooker in Round 1 is a little eccentric because the Volunteer will be 26 at the end of the 2023 regular season and is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in November. Those items generally do not translate to 1st-Round draft stock.

Drops Mock Draft
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Jeremiah wasn’t alone, though, with the Hooker theory. “The Vikings have other needs, but instead of hoping to bottom out or attempt to a glut of extra picks to move up in next year’s draft to pick a quarterback, they pick Hooker and get him with the fifth-year option,” CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso opined about Hooker to Minnesota in Round 1 from his recent mock draft.

Other rumblings last week featured a Vikings trade-up the board for Kentucky’s Will Levis, courtesy of The Athletic. Also last week, NFL.com’s Charles Davis wrote in his mock draft about the Vikings choosing Levis at No. 23, “Finally! Teams picking as high as No. 4 overall will likely consider the big-armed passer from Kentucky, but he lands with QB-friendly coach Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota as the franchise’s signal-caller for the future.”

Stranger things have happened, but Levis falling to the Vikings 23rd pick is an extreme longshot.

Left up to Christian Darrisaw, however, Hooker in purple might be a welcome sight.


Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).

All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.

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