Jake Kirkpatrick Scouting Report

Jake Kirkpatrick did not play too much football in high school and the 6-3, 305 pound center spent quite a bit of time learning behind some talented linemen at TCU. It was not until his redshirt junior season in 2009 when Kirkpatrick stepped into a starting role. Prior to that he was a sparsely used backup center and saw some action on special teams. Kirkpatrick needed that time to develop his game and for the past two years he has been the anchor of the Horned Frogs' offensive line. And it has been over the last two years when the TCU offense turned from a decent unit that tried to help the stellar defense into a group that could win games on its own. The success starts with the offensive line and the line goes through Kirkpatrick.

Even as a first year starter, Kirkpatrick was one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy. A year later Kirkpatrick would win the award given to the nation's top center. In 2009 TCU was sixth in the nation -- allowing a mere 0.92 sacks per game -- and it was Kirkpatrick who was calling all of the blocking schemes. The Horned Frogs also set a single season record by tallying 498 points and 5,937 yards of total offense. As a senior Kirkpatrick paved the way for the nation's ninth best total offense and fourth best scoring offense.

Kirkpatrick received plenty of accolades during his two years as a starter. He was named to numerous All-American teams and bringing home the Rimington Trophy is about as good as a center can do. He is not the strongest center in this class, but he may be the smartest on the field and there should only be a few centers who hear their name called before Kirkpatrick.