Alabama
Ht. 6-2 Wt. 193
Man Coverage: The tale of two tapes for Dre Kirkpatrick. He’s a physical corner that excels in press man coverage. He uses his long arms and strong frame to dominate receivers physically at the line of scrimmage. His problems come in off man and missing on the jam at the line. He’s not the most fluid athlete with tighter hips. He struggles to flip his hips and run with faster receivers as evidenced by Andre Debose running up the field vertically on him all game. He struggles to find the football with his back to the play because of a lack of recovery speed.
Zone Coverage: Kirkpatrick is a much better fit with a zone-heavy team. He has terrific instincts with superior route recognition skills. He was at his best this season sitting in zone and baiting the QB to throw underneath. He’s a really good playmaker with the play in front of him.
Ball Skills: Good but not great balls skills. He’s much more effective with the play in front of him rather than his back to the ball. He has sticky hands and his long frame allows him to make plays that other, smaller corners can’t. His instincts are very good and can make up for his lack of elite movement skills.
Tackling: Kirkpatrick will be a top tackling CB in the NFL beginning on day one. That’s how good he is. He is like having an extra safety on the perimeter of the field. He sniffs out screens and recognizes the run quickly. He’s a solid wrap up tackler and hands down the best pure tackler of this CB group. He’s a vicious tackler for a CB that will demand respect immediately in the NFL because of his hitting prowess.
Size/Athleticism: Elite size with average athleticism. Kirkpatrick is all of 6’2 with pretty good bulk. His size lends itself to being one of the more physical CB’s in this draft. He lacks a little as an athlete. He doesn’t have the straight-line speed to recover when he’s beat and will struggle against quicker receivers in off man coverage.
Bottom Line: Some zone-heavy teams should give Kirkpatrick a look in the early stages of round one and maybe in the top 10. Teams playing primarily off man won’t value Kirkpatrick as high as others. He’s a physical corner that can be counted on in run support and has the measurables to be an elite corner. Less than a week after declaring for the draft, Kirkpatrick was arrested for marijuana possession, which was later dropped. Even still, some teams will view this as a negative.
Draft Projection: Top 20
