Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick wanted the team to draft a cornerback early in the 2014 NFL draft because he was worried about the age of some of his teammates in the secondary.
According to this report by ESPN, Kirkpatrick was happy the team spent its first-round pick on former Michigan State standout Darqueze Dennard.
I actually was telling them that we needed a corner…Those guys are up in age and they’re on their last legs. Not to knock those guys. They’re going to still continue to work and still continue to compete.”But I’m 24 and I’m the youngest one out of the group. We need some young legs to come in here.
Maybe Kirkpatrick should do his talking on the football field. He’s started just three games and recorded three interceptions in two seasons since the Bengals made him a first-round pick back in 2012. Meanwhile, those older cornerbacks actually contributed in a big way to the Bengals success during that span.
11-year veteran Terence Newman put up 14 passes defended and two interceptions in 13 starts last season. Meanwhile, Adam “Pacman” Jones tallied 14 passes defended and three interceptions in 16 games.
For his part, Jones wasn’t having any of Kirkpatrick’s comments.
— ADAm Pacman Jones (@REALPACMAN24) May 16, 2014
That sounds about right. Hopefully Jones goes to Kirkaptrick and makes sure the young corner actually does his job to help the Bengals earn a third straight playoff appearance. After all, he’s done next to nothing in his first two years in the NFL.
Photo: Andrew Weber, USA Today