Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Player Summary

Christian Kirk, a 2015 five-star recruit, has started 23 of 26 career games for Texas A&M. He primarily lines up as the slot receiver in the school’s spread offense. Kirk lived up to the hype immediately, leading the Aggies in receptions and receiving yards as a true freshman while also serving as the team’s primary kick and punt returner. As a sophomore in 2016, he was named third-team all-American after once again leading his team in receptions.

In his two-year career, Kirk has caught 163 passes for 1,937 yards and 16 touchdowns from four different starting quarterbacks. He enters his junior campaign as the active FBS leader in punt return average (23.1 yards) and punt return touchdowns (five). He possesses adequate size and length on a lean frame with outstanding athletic ability.

Measureables

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 200 lbs.

Games Watched

2016: Alabama, Auburn, Kansas State, LSU, Tennessee, UCLA

Strengths

Christian Kirk displays excellent athletic ability right off the snap as he explodes off the line of scrimmage when given a free release. Kirk shows good acceleration through the stem of his route and utilizes his quickness and solid change of direction skills to create instant separation at the top.

Even against Alabama, arguably the most talented defense in the nation, he’s able to eat up cushion in a very short amount of time. As seen in the play below, Kirk (slot to the right) closes in on the defender before beating him to the sideline on a 13-yard out route.

Kirk demonstrates substantial courage over the middle of the field as he remains aggressive while displaying good awareness to find the hole in the defense. He also uses his awareness to recognize the defense before the snap. When identifying pressure, Kirk will shorten his route and look for the ball quickly. As the quarterback scrambles, he will extend his route and roll with the QB until he finds a window for the ball to be placed.

Against Kansas State, Kirk begins on the left side of the formation and rolls with the scrambling quarterback. He’s able to get behind the defense for a big gain.

Kirk has solid tracking skills on passes from short to deep and possesses excellent body control to adjust to the ball around his frame. He does a good job of high pointing the football while displaying solid hands to haul in the pass.

Whether as a receiver or return man, Kirk utilizes elite elusiveness to evade the defense and maximize yards once he has the ball in the open field. When he doesn’t have the ball, Kirk displays substantial competitive toughness as he’s a willing blocker on the outside.

Weaknesses

When facing press coverage, Kirk struggles to fight through contact and can quickly be rerouted as a result of marginal play strength. While he adjusts well to passes around his frame, his lack of length shrinks his catch radius significantly.

Adequate concentration skills hamper Kirk’s ability to hold onto the ball through contact. In this play from the 2016 season opener against UCLA, Kirk lines up as the middle of three receivers to the right. The ball is thrown on point, but Kirk is unable to hold on as the defender arrives just as the ball does.

When making the catch, Kirk is surprisingly slow to gather himself and turn upfield. This is especially evident on screens. That, in addition to his marginal ability to break tackles, limits his ability to maximize yards after the catch.

As a blocker, Kirk displays a willingness to block but is largely ineffective.

Overall

Overall, Christian Kirk is a starting slot receiver at the next level who wins with athletic ability and mental processing skills. He’s not someone who possesses the size or strength to line up as a split end. As a slot receiver, Kirk will have the opportunity to get a free release and utilize his quickness and agility to separate from defenders.

While he’s been limited in the number of routes he’s asked to run at Texas A&M, Kirk is more than just a slot who catches screens and runs option-and-go routes. He’s been very successful at what he is asked to do, especially beating defenders deep as Pro Football Focus points out.

Kirk is a mismatch for opposing defenses and is someone who can score in a variety of ways from anywhere on the field. LSU learned that the hard way when the Tigers tried covering Kirk with a safety lined up 11-yards off the line of scrimmage.

Next: 2018 Mock Draft

Brandin Cooks was the 20^th overall pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2014 NFL Draft and should be the measuring stick for Kirk. There are a lot of parallels between the two and Kirk would be fortunate to land with an NFL team that similarly utilizes him.

Even if he doesn’t contribute right away as a receiver, Kirk will help out immediately as a returner on special teams.