The Arizona Cardinals have found their potential heir to the Larry Fitzgerald throne. With the 47th pick in the 2nd round of the 2018 NFL draft the Arizona Cardinals selected former Scottsdale Saguaro Sabercat standout Christian Kirk. After scoring a potential franchise Quarterback in the first round the Cardinals decided to continue to make headlines by bringing home the former Arizonian – to many experts the Cardinals found a diamond in the rough. Being that the Cardinals have had an ongoing need at Wide receiver position, this isn’t just a typical “feel good” story. Kirk has big shoes to fill, and to be specific the person that wore those shoes before Kirk is a future first ballot hall of famer. So, we welcome Kirk back to the valley with open arms, the fans have big expectations.
The former 5-star recruit is ready for the pressure – while spending three full years playing in the rigid SEC conference, Kirk didn’t spend too much time watching from the sidelines, from Return man to Wide Receiver Kirk earned the right to be called Mr. do-it-all in his time with the Texas A&M Aggies. In the years spent with the Aggies Kirk was named SEC Freshman of the year (2015) and was named All-SEC 1st Teams in back to back seasons (2016, 2017). In his 3 collegiate seasons Christian Kirk reeled in 234 passes for 2856 yards with 23 touchdowns, and as a return man Kirk had 85 total returns and managed to squeeze out 1862 total return yards with 7 touchdowns. With Kirk’s experience as a kick or punt returner the Cardinals might think about not only using him as the number two Wide Receiver, but also as the feature Kick or Punt Returner. After all, Kirk is a star and stars make plays, so why not use him as much as possible?
On the Surface it looks like Cardinal fans have a lot to be excited about when it comes to the 2nd round pick. The dynamic Wide receiver also has much to be excited about – what better place to showcase all his hard work and talent then to the ones who watched him grow up into not only the player but the man who he is today. Many would say Christian has had a blessed life, as he grew up in the Scottsdale area, was a 5-star athlete coming out of high school, was able to play in the wildly famous SEC, and now to be mentored by the ego-less Larry Fitzgerald. Most of us have big expectations for Kirk, and throughout his life he has never fled from a challenge, and in fact I believe he’ll thrive as he seizes the moment and runs with it.
The Cardinals have had much success in the 2nd round of the draft over the past few years. In 2015 they drafted the finesse 2016 Cardinal sack leader Markus Golden out of Missouri, in 2016 they packaged a 2nd round pick to trade for NFL Sack leader Chandler Jones, and with their 2017 Pick they drafted Pro Bowl Safety Budda Baker out of Washington. As if the pressure wasn’t already on the 21-year old to be an impact on this team, it is now. However, if he handles this pressure like he has in the past, then the rest of the NFL be warned, Christian Kirk is here.
