WR Christian Kirk

This guy right here is at the top of my wish list going into this next year's draft. A 5-star prospect out of HS. One word to sum him up: electric. His teammates call him "Baby Beckham." He's the playmaker we're desperately missing on offense, and I believe this is the type of WR Kyle is looking for: a dynamic athlete that separates--before and after the catch--and is a threat to hit a home run on every touch. His disposition and the way he carries himself reminds me of Solomon Thomas. He's a young man of high character that strikes me as a John Lynch guy.

Christian Kirk is the right kind of superstar at the right time for Texas A&M

HOOVER, Ala. — In his first two college seasons, Christian Kirk has amassed 163 catches, 1,937 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, and as a returner, he has run back five of the 27 punts he's fielded for touchdowns. But if you really want to be wowed by the Texas A&M wideout, call Dave Marsh.

Marsh is the new offensive coordinator at FCS Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C. He spent 2003 to '08 in the U.S. Marine Corps and was deployed in Iraq as a squad leader. Marsh returned to Arizona and was coaching youth football in Scottsdale when he met Kirk, who was a sixth-grader playing for the Scottsdale Argonauts, a team loaded with future high-level recruits. Three of Kirk's Argonauts teammates became Elite 11 quarterbacks: Houston's Kyle Allen, Michigan State's Brian Lewerke and Cal's Luke Rubenzer (who now plays safety). Marsh says Kirk had uncanny maturity and focus for a grade-schooler, the same kind of stuff Aggies coaches have raved about pretty much from the first day the five-star recruit arrived midway through his senior year of high school, carrying himself like a pro. "He's always been that way—even back when he was little," Marsh says. "From the get-go you could really push his buttons and he always responded great and wanted you to push him even more."

Argonauts, a team loaded with future high-level recruits. Three of Kirk's Argonauts teammates became Elite 11 quarterbacks: Houston's Kyle Allen, Michigan State's Brian Lewerke and Cal's Luke Rubenzer (who now plays safety). Marsh says Kirk had uncanny maturity and focus for a grade-schooler, the same kind of stuff Aggies coaches have raved about pretty much from the first day the five-star recruit arrived midway through his senior year of high school, carrying himself like a pro. "He's always been that way—even back when he was little," Marsh says. "From the get-go you could really push his buttons and he always responded great and wanted you to push him even more."

Marsh's favorite Kirk story is from 2011. Kirk was a 150-pound freshman at Scottsdale's Saguaro High trying to adjust to a position change from running back to wideout. Marsh was coaching receivers and had his guys blocking.

"He got absolutely destroyed," Marsh says. "But after the weekend, he came back on Monday and he was our best blocker."

What sparked that 180?

"I had just got my butt kicked," Kirk says. "They called me out. Tested me. I went home and was determined to play. So I went on YouTube and watched every bit of film I could find to learn how to block. I watched NFL guys, college guys. I watched everything I could, for hours at a time. All on my own. I had a mirror and practiced it and made sure I mastered my craft. I knew that was one way I'd be playing to get on the field.

"I had set a goal to start as a freshman and I was gonna do anything to do it."
​

From studying all those clips years ago, Kirk realized blocking all came down to 'want-to' and mental toughness. Marsh is not the least bit surprised Kirk emerged as a star in the SEC so fast, becoming the first A&M player with consecutive 80-catch seasons. From his time in the Marines, Marsh knows how crucial it is to find out how people respond to adversity.

"This is why a lot of four- and five-star guys flame out after they get to college because it's the first time they've ever really been challenged and they don't know how to respond," says Marsh. Last season, he coached Kirk again after following offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone from UCLA to College Station before leaving to run his own college offense at the FCS level.

That resolve, Kirk said, all goes back to his parents. "They instilled it in me at a young age that if I want something then I have to work hard," he said at SEC Media Days. "I have to be disciplined and very humble. Hard work has been a testament to all the success I have had, and it paid off for me. I have been able to see it first-hand. I have goals and dreams that I want to be accomplished. Anything outside of that holds me off that path, then I'm not about it. I'm thankful to be in this place."

From the time Kirk was four, he says, he would wake up at 5 a.m. in the summers to get ready to go to work with his dad in what was then Evan Kirk's mobile detailing company. "It'd be 110° and we'd wash cars all day, and then I'd come back home around 7 at night," Christian says. "I'd do that all summer. That's how I learned about hard work. Getting down and doing the work that not a lot of people want to do, but my dad was passionate about it. I saw that passion."

Kirk has seen how his father's car detail company, Distinctly Different, has grown. Just like how his mother, Melissa, has risen to become a vice president of technology in her company. "They taught me about how to work for something," he says.

One thing Kirk and his teammates are working for this fall is bettering a string of three 8–5 seasons that each began with 5–0 starts, a trend that has put their coach Kevin Sumlin on the hot seat. Texas A&M AD Scott Woodward officially put him there in May when he went on the Paul Finebaum Show at SEC meetings and said, "Coach Sumlin knows he has to win. He has to win this year. He has to do better than he has done in the past."

At SEC Media Days, Sumlin was asked about his reaction to his boss's comments by just about every person in Hoover other than custodial staff. Kirk was asked about it, too.

"Coach Sumlin doesn't go out there and play on Saturdays," Kirk said. "That's up to us to go out there and win. We've got to be better as players. We're all playing for Coach Sumlin. We believe that every Saturday, he's going to put us in the best position to win."

The Aggies, once again, will have a new starting quarterback, just as in the previous three seasons. Replacing Trevor Knight's leadership will be vital for the new QB, whomever he is. The defense is also replacing ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall. Texas A&M's unquestioned star and leader now is the 20-year-old Kirk.

Asked about his goals for 2017, Kirk didn't mention winning the Biletnikoff Award given to the nation's top wide receiver, or breaking any more school records.

"I want to bring a championship to Texas A&M," he said. "That is my main goal I want to get done before I leave this place. It is something our university has waited awhile. I know we have the talent to do it. We just have to put it together the whole season. I believe we just need to finish and work hard every game. If we do what we are supposed to, then I think we can win a championship, which is the number one goal for me."

If A&M has more guys who follow Kirk's lead, they might just have a shot at it.

Kirk to Kirk connection ftw!

K2K in 2K18.

This WR class is so meh.

Not a good time to need a #1 WR (which the Niners do).

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:
Kirk to Kirk connection ftw!

K2K in 2K18.

Originally posted by NinerSickness:
This WR class is so meh.

Not a good time to need a #1 WR (which the Niners do).

You're nuts

Kirk
Courtland Sutton
Calvin Ridley
James Washington
Antonio Callaway
Deon Cain

There isn't as much hype as some years but there is still some very good talent there.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by NinerSickness:
This WR class is so meh.

Not a good time to need a #1 WR (which the Niners do).

You're nuts

Kirk
Courtland Sutton
Calvin Ridley
James Washington
Antonio Callaway
Deon Cain

There isn't as much hype as some years but there is still some very good talent there.

None of them are even close to the talent level of Corey Davis. There's good depth, but the Niners need a Dez-like game-changing guy as a #1.

Originally posted by Heroism:
This guy right here is at the top of my wish list going into this next year's draft. A 5-star prospect out of HS. One word to sum him up: electric. His teammates call him "Baby Beckham." He's the playmaker we're desperately missing on offense, and I believe this is the type of WR Kyle is looking for: a dynamic athlete that separates--before and after the catch--and is a threat to hit a home run on every touch. His disposition and the way he carries himself reminds me of Solomon Thomas. He's a young man of high character that strikes me as a John Lynch guy.

Any NFL comparisons??

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:
Kirk to Kirk connection ftw!

K2K in 2K18.

Sounds promising.

Originally posted by NinerSickness:
None of them are even close to the talent level of Corey Davis. There's good depth, but the Niners need a Dez-like game-changing guy as a #1.

Meh, that is just living in the moment. I remember when OBJ was widely expected to be a late 1st rounder/early 2nd rounder and suddenly the draftniks caught up to how much the NFL valued his playmaking ability. Kirk is an outstanding playmaker, he's not a "HUGE WR" but guys like OBJ, Antonio Brown and others have shown that you can dominate even without being a size monster.

Mostly you have a bunch of guys who have had to deal with subpar QB play or offenses that aren't particularly conductive to huge receiving stats. I can see Kirk, Ridley, Sutton and Washington all being early 1st round picks.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by NinerSickness:
None of them are even close to the talent level of Corey Davis. There's good depth, but the Niners need a Dez-like game-changing guy as a #1.

Meh, that is just living in the moment. I remember when OBJ was widely expected to be a late 1st rounder/early 2nd rounder and suddenly the draftniks caught up to how much the NFL valued his playmaking ability. Kirk is an outstanding playmaker, he's not a "HUGE WR" but guys like OBJ, Antonio Brown and others have shown that you can dominate even without being a size monster.

Mostly you have a bunch of guys who have had to deal with subpar QB play or offenses that aren't particularly conductive to huge receiving stats. I can see Kirk, Ridley, Sutton and Washington all being early 1st round picks.

I get that there are plenty of WRs who exceed expectations, but I think it's silly to count on that happening. Kirk strikes me as a really good WR. He doesn't strike me as one who's gonna come in and just dominate. Maybe I'm wrong; we're a long, long way from the draft.

...Oh, and OBJ always seemed like a #1 WR to me. The dude was lightning quick in college.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by NinerSickness:

None of them are even close to the talent level of Corey Davis. There's good depth, but the Niners need a Dez-like game-changing guy as a #1.

Meh, that is just living in the moment. I remember when OBJ was widely expected to be a late 1st rounder/early 2nd rounder and suddenly the draftniks caught up to how much the NFL valued his playmaking ability. Kirk is an outstanding playmaker, he's not a "HUGE WR" but guys like OBJ, Antonio Brown and others have shown that you can dominate even without being a size monster.

Mostly you have a bunch of guys who have had to deal with subpar QB play or offenses that aren't particularly conductive to huge receiving stats. I can see Kirk, Ridley, Sutton and Washington all being early 1st round picks.

That's an important point. There are a number of very good WRs in this draft. It's way too early to say that none of them will elevate themselves to the level of Corey Davis this year. I like Kirk and Ridley a lot - neither of them runs routes like OBJ, but Kirk could be a better version of Golden Tate - he's built a little like a RB, has great quickness and vision, and breaks a lot of tackles.

Parris Campbell on Ohio State is another guy who could have a meteoric rise even though he hasn't produced much in college so far. 4.41 40, 4.16 shuttle, and 40" vertical in high school and he has good size at 6'0-6'1 200+ pounds.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.landgrantholyland.com/platform/amp/2014/2/23/5428410/parris-campbell-ohio-state-recruiting-class-of-2014

https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/1691051-the-opening-2013-top-10-40-yard-dash-times-from-the-sparq-national-championship.amp.html

Originally posted by Heroism:
This guy right here is at the top of my wish list going into this next year's draft. A 5-star prospect out of HS. One word to sum him up: electric. His teammates call him "Baby Beckham." He's the playmaker we're desperately missing on offense, and I believe this is the type of WR Kyle is looking for: a dynamic athlete that separates--before and after the catch--and is a threat to hit a home run on every touch. His disposition and the way he carries himself reminds me of Solomon Thomas. He's a young man of high character that strikes me as a John Lynch guy.

perfect fit for Kyle...would love.

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:

Originally posted by Heroism:
This guy right here is at the top of my wish list going into this next year's draft. A 5-star prospect out of HS. One word to sum him up: electric. His teammates call him "Baby Beckham." He's the playmaker we're desperately missing on offense, and I believe this is the type of WR Kyle is looking for: a dynamic athlete that separates--before and after the catch--and is a threat to hit a home run on every touch. His disposition and the way he carries himself reminds me of Solomon Thomas. He's a young man of high character that strikes me as a John Lynch guy.

Any NFL comparisons??

OBJ

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by NinerSickness:
This WR class is so meh.

Not a good time to need a #1 WR (which the Niners do).

You're nuts

Kirk
Courtland Sutton
Calvin Ridley
James Washington
Antonio Callaway
Deon Cain

There isn't as much hype as some years but there is still some very good talent there.

Yeah Kirk and Sutton I think have 1st round written all over them.

Right now I'd probably grade Kirk as a pick somewhere between 5-10; and Sutton between 11-15.

Since 2011, only WR's taken in top 15 under 6 foot are:
Tavon Austin - 8th
OBJ - 12th
John Ross - 9th

On film, Kirk is as explosive as those guys. But breaking top 5 is extremely hard to do for a sub 6 footer.

For Sutton, his main battle will be his level of competition similar to Corey Davis. Davis went 5th but I think one reason Davis went so high because his route running was so well developed, he has a very high floor in terms of talent with a low bust factor. Sutton is a different animal, he is more in the boom or bust category. A 6'3/6'4 big boddied strong powerful speedy WR that uses the combo of power/speed to win. A lot of big WRs have had that combo and failed because of poor route running. So for now I'd peg Sutton between 11-15 pending a closer look at his routes.

Edit:
Ridley and Washington I've seen quite a bit of. Not sure if Ridley comes out this year. But right now I'd say Ridley is a late 1st. Washington, I think I started to grade him expecting him to come out and I think I was putting him at about a 2nd round pick. Can't recall though, I didn't save my notes on him so just going by memory.