Jaxson Kirkland's Long Road to the NFL and Why It Wasn't Shorter

The University of Washington didn't recruit Jaxson Kirkland in an aggressive manner. Chris Petersen's staff initially put the offensive lineman on hold on its big board, as a back-up choice to Foster Sarell.

Once Sarell, advertised as the nation's No. 1 offensive-line prospect, chose Stanford, only then did the Huskies make a move on Kirkland, who was from Vancouver, Washington, and a UW legacy player, as the son of Dean Kirkland, and committed to UCLA.

What the UW got in return was a three-time, first-team All-Pac-12 player while Sarell, from Puyallup, Washington, battled through an injury-filled career with the Cardinal.

Neither player was drafted by the NFL, though Sarell signed on as a free agent last year with the Los Angeles Chargers and appeared in seven games.

Kirkland finds himself in a similar situation. He agreed to an undrafted free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals and has participated in rookie mini-camp and now OTAs (organized team activity) to positive reviews.

The early verdict is the now 6-foot-7, 328-pound Kirkland has a decent chance to make the 53-man roster.

Yet the question persists: Why has this highly decorated Husky stalwart been forced to take such a long road to the NFL?

Jaxson Kirkland might make some noise this summer for the Bengals as an UDFA pic.twitter.com/5d2OWLBCgI
— Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) May 1, 2023

People can nitpick about his size and his athleticism all they want, but it appears his birth certificate is largely what got in the way: Kirkland turns 25 on July 30, which is considered old for a pro football rookie, almost making him damaged goods.

And speaking of damage, he basically went from first-round consideration to the middle rounds to undrafted because of what happened to him in the 2021 Oregon State football game, which the Huskies lost 27-24.

While doing his job at left tackle in a pass-blocking situation, Kirkland had his ankle destroyed from the backside when the departed Victor Curne missed his block at the other tackle spot and everyone rolled up on the exposed Jaxson.

Kirkland tried to play the rest of the season on a flat tire that required offseason surgery, which delayed his participation in the 2022 season and the Kalen DeBoer coaching era.

He picked the Bengals because they've had offensive-line issues for two seasons now, largely caused by injuries, even while appearing in a Super Bowl. They badly need depth, which Kirkland can supply.

While he was humbled some in not getting drafted, the same way the Huskies once dragged their feet with making him a scholarship offer, the thing about Kirkland is he just puts his head down and continues on.

It will be difficult for him to earn a permanent roster spot as a free agent, but it will probably be more surprising if it doesn't happen.

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