Washington Tackle Jaxson Kirkland to opt-out of 2022 NFL Draft
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Former Washington Huskies offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland has opted out of the 2022 NFL Draft. Kirkland had announced that he was declaring for the draft in early December via a post on his Instagram. The reasoning for his opt-out is because of an ankle injury he suffered at Washington that is worse than he originally thought.
One of the draft’s projected top OT prospects, @jaxson_kirkland, has opted out of the 2022 Draft after learning an ankle injury he suffered at Washington was more severe than thought, per source. He will undergo surgery Tuesday with Dr. Robert Anderson and expects a full recovery
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 1, 2022
Schefter also reported that Kirkland plans to petition the NCAA to play college football next season and plans to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Kirkland was supposed to be a part of the East West Shrine Bowl this Thursday. Now he will have off-season surgery and hope that he can suit up for the Washington Huskies this upcoming season.
Kirkland was a preseason favorite to potentially get drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. As the season went on his stock dropped to a potential day two pick. He was likely to get selected somewhere between the second and fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft if he had not opted out.
After redshirting his freshman season in 2017, Jaxson Kirkland started all 14 games at right guard and was named to the Athletic‘s Freshman All-America Team in 2018.
The following year Kirkland played right guard again, starting in all 11 games. That season Kirkland was named to the AP and Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 Second Team. Washington’s coaches also voted Jaxson Kirland the team’s best offensive lineman that season awarding him the John P. Angel Lineman of the Year Award.
In 2020, Kirkland shifted over to left tackle for the Huskies. He started every games for Washington that season. Jaxson Kirkland was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team. Kirkland was also named to the AP All-Pac-12 Second Team. For the second season in a row Kirkland was awarded the Lineman of the Year Award by his coaches.
This past season Jaxson Kirkland started 10 of 12 games at left tackle for Washington. He was named All-Pac-12 First Team for the second year in a row as well.