Goldin Brown
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http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/05/christian_kirksey_iowa_linebac.html
BEREA, Ohio – In an age of spread offenses, Mike Pettine places a premium on fleet-footed defenders.
“I’ve always been one I’d rather have smaller guys that are faster,” the Browns coach said at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. “Sometimes, the best place where that shows up is with your linebacker corps, you look for run-and-hit guys who can go sideline to sideline.”
It might explain the Browns’ decision to select 6-foot-1, 233-pound linebacker Christian Kirksey in the third round (No. 71 overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.
Despite his lean frame, the Iowa product registered 140 tackles and 2.5 sacks to earn all-Big Ten honorable mention last season. He also ran a 4.52 in the 40 at his pro day.
“I trust in my skills and I trust that I can get the job done,” Kirksey said in a conference call. “I think I’m very athletic and fast enough to play in a defense like the Browns.”
The club chose Kirksey six picks ahead of Wisconsin’s Chris Borland, an inside linebacker who won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. Borland, who’s known more for his production than measurables, went to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 77.
Some analysts did not have Kirksey, a two-year Iowa captain, coming off the board until the fifth round. His lack of strength sometimes caused him to get swallowed up at the line of scrimmage on pass rushes, a problem Barkevious Mingo encountered last season.
“I think adding strength and bulk is among the easier things to do at this level,” Pettine said Friday night. “It’s hard to get them significantly faster. We’d rather take the better athlete, the faster guy and trust in our strength program.”
Kirksey saw time at all the linebacker positions with the Hawkeyes. The St. Louis native said he expects to play inside with the Browns...