Kirk ready to go outside
Texas A&M receiver isn’t worried if he shifts from the slot
INDIANAPOLIS — Texas A&M receiver Christian Kirk has captivated scouts and coaches at the NFL combine with his dynamic personality, infectious smile and terrific talent, but that may not be enough to catapult him into the first round of the draft.
Kirk is competing with SMU’s Courtland Sutton to be the second receiver drafted behind Alabama’s Calvin Ridley. At 5-10 and 201 pounds, Kirk doesn’t have the ideal size teams want, but he had a time of 4.47 seconds in the 40-yard dash Saturday after benching 225 pounds 20 times Friday – tied for fourth among receivers.
The most impressive part of Kirk’s résumé is that he’s a dangerous slot receiver and a game-changing punt returner. How high he goes — perhaps as high as 19th overall to the Dallas Cowboys — depends on his ability to play outside as well as inside.
Since he arrived at the combine, Kirk has been asked about shifting outside compared with playing in the slot, where he excelled with the Aggies.
“That’s (been asked) during my formal interviews, if I can do it,” Kirk said. “I just smile because I know I can do it.
“Whenever a coach tells me to do something, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability, and I have the confidence I can go outside and win one-on-one and get off of press (coverage).
“At Texas A&M, I was asked to play in the slot, and that’s what I did. If they were to ask me to play outside, I believe I would’ve thrived there as well.”
Kirk doesn’t look like a prototype wideout by today’s standards. He’s not tall and lanky. He’s built more like a running back.
And he’s happy to tell teams exactly what he’s capable of doing in the NFL and what his attributes are.
“My speed, my physicality, the way I’m able to set up my routes,” Kirk said about why he can transition outside if necessary. “I understand football. I pride myself on being a smart player.
“I don’t think you can just move position to position if you don’t understand the concept, what the guy on the other side is running (and) understanding defenses.”
Kirk doesn’t lack confidence. He excelled at A&M as a receiver and returner, and he believes he can play at a similar level in the NFL, no matter what team drafts him.
“I think I’m at the top,” he said when asked where he ranks among the wide receivers. “I think you’re wrong if you don’t believe you are.
“I think you should have the confidence that every time you step on the field, you’re the best player out there. So I have 100 percent confidence in what I’m going to be able to do at the next level.”
Unlike some scouts, Kirk doesn’t think his size will work against him. He showed at the combine he’s fast, quick and strong. He’s also explosive and instinctive.
“There’s a lot more that goes into it than just being 6-foot and above, 200-something pounds,” Kirk said. “You have to be able to do all phases of the game.
“There’s a lot of receivers in the league right now that are under 6 foot that are excelling. I’m ready to prove that I can be another guy where height doesn’t matter.”
Kirk is honest about how he perceives his strengths and weaknesses.
“I think I have a combination of it all,” he said. “Definitely strength to get off press (coverage) at the line of scrimmage. Then speed and quickness and smarts so I know how to set up defenders, get into my route and be decisive at the top of my route and create separation.
“I feel that’s one of the best things I do is to be able to create separation and gain yards after the catch.”
Kirk is the first to admit his game has weaknesses that must be improved with hard work and good coaching.
“To be more consistent at times, just getting in a groove offensively,” he said. “We kind of struggled a little, and there were times, offensively, that it just wasn’t there.
“I felt we could’ve brought a little more consistency, especially me. At times, I had some uncharacteristic drops that I definitely worked on. I put a lot of pressure on myself, especially this year, to try to make every play.
“That’s how I am. I like being a perfectionist.”
Kirk saved his best game for last. In the Aggies’ Belk Bowl victory over Wake Forest, he had 13 catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns.
“It was awesome,” he said. “Probably my favorite game of my collegiate career.
“It was my last one, and to take the field one last time in that uniform, for that university that did so much for me as a person and set me up big-time for the future – it meant a lot.”