From the 2018 class, we’ve seen the emergence of Michael Gallup, D.J. Moore and Calvin Ridley as legit threats in their respective offenses. While Moore and Ridley were first rounders, Gallup was a third rounder who has been a pleasant surprise for the Dallas Cowboys.
A receiver who has flown under the radar, who is finally coming into their own is third year Arizona Cardinals receiver Christian Kirk. The former Texas A&M Aggie receiver has not put up gaudy stats, but is starting to become a reliable third or fourth option in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense.
In his rookie season, Kirk made big plays but was largely used in a “take the top off the defense” role, meaning he was utilized as a deep threat. He has the speed to do so, but his skill set was underutilized in the previous regime.
Now, in 2020, Kirk already has doubled the amount of touchdowns he had in each of his first two seasons, and is on track to set a new career high in catches and yards as well. The bottom line is this: Christian Kirk is finally blossoming in Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s unique offense, allowing Kirk to showcase his full range of skills like never before.
College Rise
Christian Kirk hailed from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was ranked as the number one player in Arizona in the 2015 recruiting class, and the number 25th overall prospect in the country. With legit 4.4 speed from Kirk, it was clear from the moment he stepped onto Texas A&M’s campus, he was going to be special.
From the get go, the Aggies coaching staff, who was led by former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, immediately knew Kirk would be a cornerstone for this offense. In just his freshman season alone, Christian Kirk bursted on the scene, catching 80 passes, over 1,000 yards receiving, and seven receiving touchdowns. Not to mention his production on punt returns, as he returned two for touchdowns as well his freshman season.
Over the next two seasons, Kirk would continue to develop and impress. As the games wore on, it was clear what Kirk’s strengths were: getting the ball in space and creating big plays, and creating separation from the slot. It was something he excelled at, especially by his junior season, which would be his final in an Aggie uniform.
What I noticed about Kirk running routes in college was how he attacked his defender’s leverage. In this first clip, matched up against future Steelers all-pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, Kirk does a nice job threatening three step slant. When Minkah jumps that route, Kirk fluidly whips back out towards the sideline and picks up a big gain. Because his routes look identical, which is a common theme in his game, he can set up any defender.
Another thing Kirk did well in college that hasn’t necessarily translated well for him now is being able to create targets for throwing lanes and creating big plays with his athleticism. The 5’11” wideout does not have great length tends to show off fantastic footwork near the sidelines and that’s just what he did against Alabama in his junior year. This was one of the best catches of his college career, following his quarterback Kellen Mond on a scramble drill and snagging a difficult pass, and being able to drag his feet.
Manufacturing big plays came easy for Kirk in college, and as a rookie in the NFL, but recently, catching verticals seems to be his dependency now. On his last ever college game, the Arizona native caught 13 for 189 yards and three touchdowns against Wake Forest, including this screen where he uses a juke to set up blocks and accelerate into the endzone.
All in all, a solid college career for Kirk, amassing over 200 catches, nearly 3,000 yards and 26 receiving touchdowns. With him being a dual threat as a receiver and returner, he scored an additional 7 punt return touchdowns, bringing him to 33 total touchdowns in his college career. Pretty impressive for his draft stock, that would carry over to the combine, where he ran a sub 4.4., and picked as top five wide receiver despite some limitations with his size.
The Arizona native was picked by his home town team — a place where it all started for Kirk — 47th overall. Little did he know a coaching and scheme change would unlock his true potential, and have him fill more of a hybrid slot/boundary single receiver that not only suits his game, but a brand new NFL system.
Rookie Season: Athletic Ability
A fitting name to describe just what Christian Kirk’s rookie season was like watching his film. What became Kirk’s calling card in college was working in between the numbers and attacking the middle of a defense with his speed. The thing I wrote down in the five games I watched of his was the under-utilization of him in the slot. Kirk is at his best attacking the deep thirds or halves of a defensive secondary.
A perfect example of this was against the San Francisco 49ers in 2018, on the first offensive play for the game for the Cardinals, the 49ers had a single high safety. Using an inside release, Kirk pushes the DB wide, and stems him just enough to give himself a better opportunity to catch a deep 75 yard touchdown. It was textbook route running, in a condensed formation (which will play crucial down the line for his development) that allowed him to run free.
Something that I mentioned above that showed early in his career was creating big YAC plays with his natural speed and elusiveness. Against the then Oakland Raiders. the Cardinals realized he was one of their better playmakers on the team a little more than halfway through the season. So, like any smart coach would, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, who took over for Mike McCoy a month into the season, got Kirk the ball on screens. It turns out getting him the ball in open space and not using on vertical shots only seems to be a better plan of action for your second round pick.
The one trait that never waivers for the Cardinals’ stud receiver is how hard and efficiently he runs every route. Just based off the sheer fact you won’t see him loaf off the football, it puts defenders in binds when double moves are put on them. Kirk tests the defensive backs’ eye discipline with his head and hips.
Just a subtle head fake against Green Bay Packers all pro-caliber defensive back Jaire Alexander does enough for Christian Kirk to run right by Alexander. Again, it’s from the condensed formation that allows Kirk more room and freedom to operate down the field while maintaining a solid distance from the sideline. The condensed formations, I believe, led to the Cardinals current regime figuring out Kirk needs to see some slot receiver action.
One of the staples of Mike McCoy, then eventually, Leftwich’s offense, is the timing routes they run. The deep outs, curls, comebacks and crossing routes where part of Kirk’s route tree in that offense. Against the Chicago Bears, the Cardinals offense schemed in a double move, and using motion (which becomes part of his role later) they find themselves in once again to a condensed formation, this time into the field rather than the boundary.
What makes this play pop is just how committed Kirk’s body looks to running the deep out. Chopping his feet and breaking down signaled to the defensive back that he is transitioning into his route breaking outside, but instead leaves him the dust. Some nice technical work by Christian Kirk on that play.
Crossing routes also allow Kirk to see the ball in the open field and stretches defenses vertically and horizontally.
The first and glaring mistake the Cardinals made from the beginning was only playing him as the “X” or “Z” in the offense. He has the ability to do it, but it limits his ability to create mismatches against linebackers, safeties, and nickel corners. The Kingsbury regime would take advantage of this in coming seasons but Kirk simply does not have size to catch those 50/50 jump balls or crazy leaping ability to make ridiculous catches. Not every wide out needs to do that.
Another concern was Kirk’s inability to consistently separate and get clean releases in press man. There were other instances as well that press man threw off the timing a bit, but not as much as this clip against the Kansas City Chiefs defense. It seems like Kirk is trying to get a natural rub on a Larry Fitzgerald out route, but Kirk is stymied at the line of scrimmage and struggles to cleanly run up field against the corner. With the defensive back able to get hands on Kirk, and control where he went, the defender gave room to his teammate to go make the play. It affected the timing and lead to a punt on third and long. Kirk has to be better against press man jams.
The rookie would finish the season catching 43 passes, 590 yards, and three touchdowns. A broken foot injury only allowed Kirk to play in just 13 of 16 games in his first season.
Not a bad start for a receiver being limited by an offensive system. Every season, Kirk has taken strides and he certainly did do that in year two, when given a bigger role in a familiar type of offense he played in college.
Second Year Strides in New Regime
Steve Wilks was sent out of the door after the 2018 season, and in came the newest young mind in the NFL: Kliff Kingsbury. Long story short, the former Texas Tech head coach brought a no huddle, up tempo offense to the NFL, something unique and fresh. And by the end of April, a new quarterback was at the helm: former Oklahoma star, and brief Texas A&M starting quarterback Kyler Murray.
What Murray brought to the table is throwing to both sides of the field, and not just pre-determining the read before the snap even happens. His ability to scramble and maneuver a muddied pocket gives his receivers more chance to get their hands on the football.
In their first game of the season in 2019, the Cardinals wasted no time in using pre snap motion, and using Kirk to initiate it. What we saw in that game laid the foundations later in the season. By the time week three came against the Carolina Panthers, the Cardinals were using Kirk’s lateral speed to as an extension of their running game. It causes the defenses to account for him, allowing the fake to clarify the read on what base defense teams were in.
The biggest sigh of relief while watching five games of his 2019 film is how often we see him in the slot. Something I harped on in my film study was how eager I was to see him operate in the slot, and it’s a thing of beauty sometimes. In this two clip sequence, we see how smooth Kirk looks while making his outside cuts.
In the first play, Kirk runs a simple corner route, and spins the safety around, because of how often Kirk attacks the middle of the field or the opposite side of the field. A textbook, clean route that gets him wide open by a few yards.
The second play is against man defense from the slot against a nickel, and notice how he lines up. On the top of the numbers so he can work the sideline with plenty of room to work. When he releases, Kirk does a nice job slapping the corner’s arms down off of him, stems him inside out, giving him enough separation on his route break to catch a cleanly thrown ball. Easy pitch and catch between former college teammates Murray and Kirk.
The boundary condensed formation was a big hit for Kirk in 2019. With how Kingsbury’s offense is built, Kirk had some one on one matchups due to pace and spacing. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a run fake holds the linebackers in place, allowing Kirk a free run at the safety. Because the safety is now on his heels, Kirk just needs a simple head fake to open the safeties’ hips slightly and gives Kirk some extra time to run away from the defender.
In this second play, a combination of tempo plus pure straight line speed allowed the former Aggie to blow right by his defender for a big time touchdown, one of his three on the day against Tampa Bay. The boundary routes give Kirk a new kind of versatility.
Christian Kirk struggles making back shoulder and heavily contested passes due to his lack of length. His reach isn’t that of Odell Beckham Jr. or even Julio Jones. Kirk has an average length of arms that make it difficult to reach out and catch them cleanly with his hands.
This is a two play sequence of how he started the season versus how he improved over time. In play one, against the Lions, a team where Kirk struggled against press man, the defensive back disrupts the timing with his hands, forcing Kirk to hug the sideline. In addition, Kirk makes a subtle head nod, slowing him down for a fraction of a second. That split second slowed him down and made the pass a little far out of his reach.
The second play, Kirk does a nice job engaging his hands and breaking the jam and re route and attempting to stack his man. He also used an inside release to get the nickel off balance, and create separation between he and the outside receiver’s vertical route. He makes a rare tough catch in traffic showing he has ability to make that a consistent part of the game. It’s all about playing chess with the defensive back.
Again, for the second straight season, Kirk would miss time with injury, this time a sprained ankle. It would cause him to miss three games in 2019. However, Kirk would increase all of his major categories, including targets, up 108, 40 more than 2018 (68), yards receiving at 709 (up over 100 yards from 2018), and tied the number of touchdowns he had in 2018 with three. He also saw more touches, from 46 in 2018 to 78 in 2019.
It was clear Kirk became a weapon in their offense by season’s end and was second in yards and catches on the team, and third in touchdowns. That success in 2019, and using him in jet motion and in the slot help set the stage for a third year blossom who has fallen behind in the discussion of the best receiver from the 2018 NFL Draft.
Third Year Explosion for Kirk
In 2020, we’re seeing Christian Kirk beginning to emerge as the future second or third option in this offense. Through 11 games this season, Kirk leads his team in average yards per catch with 14.6, and touchdowns with six so far, doubling his season output in 2018 and 2019. For the first time since his rookie year, he looks like the player the Cardinals drafted over two years ago.
The addition of De’Andre Hopkins seemingly made Kirk step his game to another level, alongside the ever reliable Larry Fitzgerald. With those two intact, plus the addition of having passing catching tight ends, it gives Kirk the room to operate more outside the hashes and further past the top of the numbers.
Similar to his rookie season, Kirk has been testing the defensive backs eye discipline, giving them a subtle stutter and head fake, and using his speed to run past everybody. Against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, Kirk catches the corner flat footed, and does the rest with one of Kyler Murray’s best deep passes in his young career. Kirk seems to be taking little things he learns along the way, and applying it to his game.
The best thing about how Kirk has improved dramatically is how precise and technical his routes have become. From setting up his routes in years past, to now combining his speed and footwork, third year wideout Christian Kirk has been cooking his defenders.
An area of growth for the former Saguaro High School standout is violently using his hands to throw defenders off of him. In the clip below, watch how he threatens Miami Dolphins big time off-season acquisition Byron Jones, attacking as if he is taking his route vertical. Kirk forces Jones to begin to run with him, cuts on a dime, slaps away Jones’ outside arm to prevent him from grabbing at his arm, and makes a tough five yard catch on the dig route. In terms of attacking leverage and being violent with his hands, it doesn’t get more textbook than that.
The second route was flat out disrespectful, yet poetic from start to finish. This is the second match-up between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, which may become a quarterback rivalry over the next decade. The corner is in bail technique, preparing to run with Kirk if he is going deep. What Kirk does that fools the defensive back is begin to attack his leverage, forcing the defender to be back on his heels. Kirk gives a beautiful head nod inside, slaps the defender inside, and cuts back outside smoothly. One of the cleanest routes I have seen on tape from any wide receiver this season.
For a better look at the second route, check out the video below. It is poetic, as you see the footwork, and violent hands up close and personal.
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) November 20, 2020
As well as Christian Kirk has played this season, his drops have been a killer. Just this past Sunday against the New England Patriots, Kirk ran a slant route, got inside his man, and is securing the ball in his hands, but lost it while bringing the ball into his chest. It could have been a touchdown right before the half to put them up 17-7, but with the drop, it changed the complexion of the game. A few plays later the Cardinals were denied points on a stuffed goal line run before the half. Those are must haves, especially with his newest contract being up for discussion soon.
Sheesh alert: Christian Kirk dropped eight yard TD. Then KeeSean Johnson ruled down inside the one-yard line after initially being called a score. Then Kenyan Drake stuffed at the goal line to go into halftime. Like I said, sheesh.
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) November 29, 2020
The timing between Kyler Murray and Christian Kirk has seemed off at times this season. While Kirk is on pace to have the most receiving yards of his career, his receptions have seemed to regress, despite the team looking at him as a second option or third option. You factor in a few drops and miscommunications, you end up with 58 percent of passes thrown to him were completed.
Man, what a throw from Kyler Murray to Christian Kirk. Perfectly placed – except for the fact that it was out of bounds.
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) November 29, 2020
While Sunday’s game isn’t a direct reflection of what the season has been so far, Christian Kirk is becoming comfortable and a reliable threat in this dynamic Kliff Kingsbury offense. With Kirk no longer being held back, his game continues to hit new heights, with potential to become a core piece of the offense that possess top 10 NFL Quarterback Kyler Murray and top five NFL Wide Receiver De”Andre Hopkins.
If Kirk can become more consistent in catching the easy ones, we could begin to consider him as one of the best second tier of receivers.