Dre Kirkpatrick’s Season Ends Prematurley, But Don’t Call him a Bust Yet

 

The 2012 NFL season can effectively be called a redshirt year for first-round cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, as the Bengals placed him on the injured reserve list, ending a disappointing and injury-plagued season. Its been a rocky rookie season for the former All-American out of the University of Alabama, who missed most of the teams’ OTAs and mincamps with a leg injury, and then missed essentially all of training camp and preseason, and didn’t make his regular-season debut until November 4th vs. the Denver Broncos playing on special teams. He saw his most playing time on defense against the Kansas City Chiefs as he notched  two tackles and downed a punt at the KC-4. He’s missed the past four games due to a concussion, and will finish his rookie season having played in only five games.

Kirk won’t be the first rookie to miss essentially his entire rookie campaign. In 2007 during the Minnesota Vikings‘ first preseason game, rookie first-round linebacker Chad Greenway tore his ACL playing special teams on a kickoff return and missed the entire 2006 NFL season. He’s had a solid career since then and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2011.