Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan Has Size, But Can the Commanders Refine His Skills?

Hogs Haven takes a look at 2025 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders

Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, OT, Oregon State
School: Oregon State University | Conference: Pacific-12
College Experience: Redshirt Senior | Age: 23 (Week 1)
Height / Weight: 6’8” 315 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 6th round-undrafted

Player Comparison: Brandon Parker

Player Overview

Graduating from Davis HS (CA) as a three-star prospect, Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan started his collegiate career with the University of Colorado. After redshirting his 2020 season, he started the 2021-23 seasons with the Buffaloes primarily at LT. After a maligned 2023 season, he followed his offensive line coach to Oregon State in 2024 where Gerad rebuilt his reputation. He was considered the top offensive lineman in the PAC-12 conference playing over 800 snaps at left tackle. He was part of an offensive unit that accumulated nearly 190 rushing yards per game and was only responsible for a single penalty and 2-3 sacks. He was invited to participate in the East-West Shrine Game.

Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan is a tall, lean built tackle and good length. He uses his frame and mobility well to mirror pass rushers and put himself between defenders and create rushing lanes. He uses his feet well to sustain blocks and climbs to the second level. Gerad is able to latch on quickly to a rusher and disable their punches with a hard chop. Even with Gerad’s improvements, he still tends to rely on his size rather than skill to win battles. He finds himself leaning into run blocks rather than fully using his arms. He needs work with his arm placement that leaves his chest too open to be abused. He is also widely considered a developmental prospect who needs to work on the technical aspects to pair with his physical attributes. He worked well in a quick hitting/RPO/play action, zone-based scheme. Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan is a late Day 3 prospect for a team who feels confident in their player development.

Awards & Accomplishments

• East-West Shrine Participant (2025)
• Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week (2023)

Metrics

Strengths

• Lean, well-built frame coupled with desired arm length.
• Latches onto defenders and can mirror or drive them.
• Good footwork and can climb to the second-level.
• Patient, not too willing to overreact.
• Good knee bend for his height.

Weaknesses

• Over-reliant on his size.
• Arm placement too wide, gives up his chest.
• Needs better hand placement and timing.
• Needs to improve at recovering and anchoring.
• Only one good season, his last season.
• Tends to lean into his blocks.

Let’s See His Work

Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan is number #71

Interview

How does he fit on the team

Just as important as finding the right combination of offensive linemen to start is the depth behind them. Swing tackle Cornelius Lucas, who served a crucial role for offensive protection, departed this offseason. Adding Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan would bring more competition to the reserve tackle role with Trenton Scott. His size and length alone can make him a decent blocker on special teams. In the unfortunate case of an injured tackle, Gerad can fill in as a reserve coming from an offense with some similar concepts to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s. Gerad’s upside is dependent on the developmental tutelage of offensive line coach Bobby Johnson to work on his arm placement, timing, and other technical aspects. But, Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan shows you can’t teach size and the front office is willing to consider adding a big body to the offensive line room.