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Dolphins Rookie Deep Dive: Kirk Merritt

Miami Dolphins undrafted rookie free agent wide receiver Kirk Merritt brings impressive physical attributes

Alain Poupart

Dolphins Rookie Deep Dive: Kirk Merritt
Dolphins Rookie Deep Dive: Kirk Merritt /

The complete lowdown on Dolphins rookie free agent Kirk Merritt, from his days at a high school Ed Reed made famous, to his many detours in college, to his pre-draft projection, and more.

A wide receiver from Arkansas State, Merritt was one of 10 rookie free agents the Dolphins after the 2020 NFL draft.

COLLEGE CAREER

Merritt had a checkered college career, but he ended things strongly at Arkansas State with 83 catches for 1,005 yards and seven touchdowns in 2018 and 70 receptions for 806 yards and 12 touchdowns last year.

Before he started his collegiate career at the University of Oregon, Merritt starred at Destrehan High in Louisiana — the same school that produced University of Miami and Baltimore Ravens star safety Ed Reed.

Merritt's college career began at Oregon in 2015 and he transferred to Texas A&M after his freshman year. Before he ever played at Texas A&M following a redshirt year, Merritt was involved in off-the-field issues and was dismissed from the program.

He then landed at East Mississippi Community College, also known as "Last Chance U" thanks to the Netflix documentary series. In his one season there, he helped EMCC with the 2017 NJCAA national championship.

At Arkansas State, Merritt earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors both years and was the league's Newcomer of the Year in 2018.

Along with the 12 receiving touchdowns last year, he also had a kickoff return for a score.

PRE-DRAFT ANALYSIS

In terms of sheer athletic ability, Merritt is as good as they come.

He won Nike's SPARQ (speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness) national championship in 2014. Previous winners of the SPARQ title include Washington Redskins safety Landon Collins and 2020 Baltimore Ravens second-round J.K. Dobbins.

Merritt recently showed off his athletic ability with a social media video showing him with a standing jump of 62 inches.

In addition to the jumping, the guy can run, as he demonstrated with a 4.33 40-yard dash during his virtual Pro Day this offseason.

In large part because of the issues at Texas A&M, Merritt was expected to be a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.

"Without question, Merritt is one of the most athletic and explosive receivers in this draft," draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote for NFL.com. "For all his physical prowess, he doesn't impose his explosiveness on opponents often enough. The ball skills are impressive, but the route running needs work. The play traits and athleticism would usually be enough for him to land on Day 3, but character concerns in his background could keep him from being picked."

HOW HE FITS

Merritt was one of two wide receivers the Dolphins signed as rookie free agents and both of them — the other is Matt Cole from Division II McKendree University — are really interesting prospects.

The problem both of them will face is the Dolphins' large number of young wide receivers with NFL experience.

Preston Williams made the team as a rookie free agent and ended up starting seven games for the Dolphins in 2019, but the task will be more imposing this year.

Along with Williams, the Dolphins already have DeVante Parker, Albert Wilson, Allen Hurns, Jakeem Grant, Isaiah Ford, Ricardo Louis, Mack Hollins and 2019 Seattle Seahawks fourth-round pick Gary Jennings.

OFF THE FIELD

When he's not focused on football, Merritt likes to paint.

His works can be found on one of his Instagram pages at kirkscreations.

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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @apoupartFins.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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