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#96 Payton Kirk |
Position: Defensive End Previous College: None Projection: Third-String Status: On Scholarship |
Payton Kirk (b. Dec. 11, 1988), despite being listed as a defensive end, saw extensive time as a reserve defensive tackle last season and during the spring game.
Needless to say, it's my fervent hope that enough of our new defensive tackles pan out so we can move him back to end on a full-time basis.
No disrespect to Mr. Kirk, who has been a capable reserve for us ever since Bill Snyder returned, but he's a role player. That's not a bad thing — every team needs role players.
But Kirk's a little too small to be an ideal defensive tackle and a bit too slow to be a stellar pass rusher. For us to take the next step as a program, we need to plug in the sort of players who relegate guys like Kirk to the bench.