Detroit Lions Draft Prospects: Dre Kirkpatrick

The official list of draft prospects the Lions have met with at the combine or at their training facility is not released to the public. However, word about interviews and visits do slip out and through those reports we know of just one player that has talked with the Lions at both the combine and came to town for a visit. That player is Dre Kirkpatrick.

Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 186 lbs
Arm Length: 30-5/8″
40-yard Dash: 4.51 sec
Vertical Jump: 35″
Broad Jump: 120″
Watch his combine workout here

The NFL Mocks scouting report on Dre Kirkpatrick breaks him down into the following pros and cons:

"ProsKirkpatrick has excellent size for a cornerback to go along with plus length. He also has great strength for a cornerback and is a nightmare for WR if he gets the press on…great instinct….his versatile is best at press coverage, but can play zone coverage because of his plus awareness…Kirkpatrick is an effective blitzer….good tackler…hard hitter…no character concerns…well coached…fluid hips to turn and run with Wide receivers. Reportedly a film rookie junkie…team playerConsNot elite cornerback speed. Has great speed for his size, but his 40 his generally reported as 4.49, which is not elite, but still pretty fast….as had some shoulder injuries and will have to pass rigorous combine injury testing…doesn’t have the Patrick Peterson-like return ability…has adeqaute balance when adjusting to the ball in the air, but his ball skills are not at an elite level…may struggle with combination WR in the NFL (players with the kind of size/speed ratio he has, but who doesn’t?) He was less than impressive vs Alshon Jeffrey."

Perhaps you’ve heard; the Lions need help at cornerback. Whether or not they choose to address that need in the first round is open for debate but what isn’t debatable is that the Lions, at least publicly, have shown more interest in Kirkpatrick than any other corner in the draft. As mentioned earlier, it is known that they interviewed Kirkpatrick at the NFL combine in February then had him in for a visit last month. Martin Mayhew was personally on hand at Alabama’s second pro day last week and while Dre didn’t do individual drills, he was part of the event.

It looked likely that the Lions wouldn’t have a shot at Dre Kirkpatrick with the 23rd pick earlier in the draft process but his stock has fallen some. ESPN currently ranks him as the fourth best corner in the draft and the number 25 prospect overall. Still, falling out of the first round entirely does not appear to be a possibility.

The National Football Post’s Wes Bunting remains high on Kirkpatrick, rating him as the second best corner behind LSU’s Morris Claiborne and the number 11 overall prospect. A negative for the Lions is that Bunting sees Kirkpatrick at his best when playing in zone coverage. However, Kirkpatrick’s size allows him to be physical with receivers in more of a press-man scheme. Bunting also gives Kirkpatrick high marks for his tackling ability and regards him as the best tackling corner in this draft. That trait could be especially important with the departure of Eric Wright.

Kirkpatrick would immediately be among the tallest corners in the league at 6’2″. His height and long arms gave him a physical advantage at the college level but some wonder if Kirkpatrick’s game will translate to the NFL level due to a relatively light frame. He is three inches taller than Chris Houston but weighs just eight pounds more.

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