UW's Kirkland Wants to be NFL First-Rounder — Somebody's Been Listening
Offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland returned to the University of Washington football program for another season when he didn't have to, basically to turn himself into an NFL first-round draft pick.
If he wants, he can leave now.
Over the weekend, Yahoo became the first entity to christen Kirkland as a No. 1 draftee, projecting the 6-foot-7, 310-pounder to go to the Buffalo Bills with the 29th pick in the 2022 talent grab in its mock draft.
In what appears to be a very good year for offensive linemen, Yahoo has the Vancouver, Washington, product and Husky legacy player as the sixth tackle or guard coming off the board.
Here's guessing that Yahoo writer Derrik Klassen didn't know he made a family connection by connecting Kirkland with the Bills.
In the 1991 NFL draft, Kirkland's father Dean went to Buffalo as an offensive guard with an 11th-round selection. The former first-team All-Pac-10 player now a Portland/Vancouver developer.
In his draft assessment, the Yahoo analyst addressed the fact that the younger Kirkland easily could become an NFL guard as well as a left tackle. The following is his assessment of the Husky prospect:
"Kirkland played left tackle in 2020 (and presumably again in 2021), but he does not necessarily have to play there for the Bills. Kirkland started out as a right guard for Washington, showing great quickness off the snap and decent power at the point of attack. He is also one of the most efficient pass blockers in the country. The Bills could slot Kirkland at guard right away while having the option to flex him out to tackle, in the case of injury or some other circumstance that would benefit from him moving around."
Kirkland could have entered the recent draft and been taken in the middle rounds. He wanted something better than that, plus a chance to play with the Huskies one more season.
"I just got a taste with Coach [Jimmy] Lake and the new offense," he said. "I love my guys, love my unit, so coming back was like a no-brainer to me."
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