Denver Kirkland: Arkansas OL 2016 NFL Draft scouting report

2016 NFL Draft: Scouting report for Arkansas Razorbacks offensive lineman Denver Kirkland, a player who has started at both tackle and guard in college…

Denver Kirkland is one of the biggest underclassmen to enter the 2016 NFL Draft…literally.

The 6-5, 340 pound mammoth of a man played both guard and tackle in his time at Arkansas, but projects better to the inside going forward. We’ll get into that in a bit.

Let’s take a closer look at one of the top guard prospects in this year’s draft…

More from Scouting Reports

At A Glance

Ht: 6’5″

Wt: 340 pounds

Position: Guard/Tackle

Class: Junior

Hometown: Miami, FL

Notable Achievements

2015 pre-season All-American

Three-year starter

Prospect Video

Translatable Traits

1. Size

I would be a fool if I didn’t put this down. Since he was a four-star high school recruit, Kirkland’s top trait has been his mammoth size. That size earned him early playing time in the SEC and very early success. He started off playing guard at Arkansas but moved to the left tackle position in his senior season. We’ve always known Bret Bielema to prefer a massive offensive line to pave the way for his running game, and that’s exactly what Kirkland helped to do.

With his size, he’s able to basically shield off defensive players. His body type allows him to overpower defensive ends at the point of attack, and engulf them with the simple shifting of his body.

2. Movement Skills

One of Kirkland’s greatest attributes is his ability to move for his size. He’s pretty athletic for a big man, which is going to be critical to his success as a professional. If he was simply just a big, powerful mauler, there would be no value for him. His ability to move laterally and play to the second level works to his benefit, though sometimes it appears as though he needs to have better conditioning in order to do this on a consistent basis.

3. Experience at multiple positions

Having played both guard and tackle in college, NFL scouts are better able to make a determination of what position he would play going forward. Though he did well at tackle for Arkansas, it’s pretty clear to see that he’s going to be a better guard in the NFL. He doesn’t quite have the light feet to be able to hang with NFL speed rushers.

That being said, he is nimble enough on his feet to be an asset in the running game as well as a good pass blocker in phone booth situations on the interior.

Bottom Line

Kirkland is currently 340 pounds, and I think he could probably play at around 325 and be a lot more effective than he is at his current weight. He isn’t ‘out of shape’ I don’t think, but his overall game would be improved if he shed some weight to play on the interior with a little bit more quickness.

Kirkland is also not a mauler. He uses his body type very well, but he doesn’t overpower defensive players that often with sheer dominant play. That’s not his game.

I don’t know if I would project him higher than the third round at this point, and that is simply because I think there are plenty of areas he needs to work on, specifically getting his weight down a little bit. Projecting him at an inside line position, I think he has starting potential in the NFL and I think he will need some time to get there as well.

Home/Scouting Reports