# Dre Kirkpatrick
**Dre Kirkpatrick** (D'Andre Lawan Kirkpatrick; born 1989 in [Gadsden, Alabama](https://www.edgepedia.org/gadsden-alabama)) is a former [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) cornerback who played ten seasons in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), primarily for the Cincinnati Bengals, who selected him 17th overall in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) He played college football at Alabama, where he was a first-team All-American on the 2011 national championship defense.[2](https://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/cb/dre-kirkpatrick/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, Gadsden, Alabama; Gadsden City High School[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) |
| College | Alabama, 2009–2011, lettered all three seasons[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) |
| Draft | 1st round, 17th overall, 2012, Cincinnati Bengals[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) |
| NFL career | 119 games, 79 starts, 10 seasons: Bengals 2012–2019, Cardinals 2020, 49ers 2021[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) |
| Career totals | 13 interceptions, 188 return yards, 2 interception touchdowns, 72 passes defensed, 358 total tackles[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/dre-kirkpatrick/stats/career) |
| Record | 101-yard interception return in 2017, the NFL record for longest interception return that did not result in a touchdown[4](https://media.49ers.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/21143432/San-Francisco-49ers-vs.-Green-Bay-Packers-Week-3-Release.pdf) |
| 2012 Combine | 6'1⅝", 186 lb, 4.51-second 40-yard dash, 35-inch vertical, 10'0" broad jump[2](https://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/cb/dre-kirkpatrick/) |
## College career at Alabama
Kirkpatrick lettered at Alabama from 2009 through 2011 under coach [Nick Saban](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-saban).[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) By his junior season he had developed into what his school bio called a shut-down corner and a leader in the Crimson Tide secondary. In 2011 he recorded 26 tackles with 23 solo stops, nine pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two tackles for loss, and returned a blocked field goal 55 yards for a touchdown. Opponents threw away from him often enough that he had no interceptions as a junior, yet he earned first-team All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America, CBSSports.com, and Pro Football Weekly, a second-team Associated Press All-American nod, and second-team All-SEC from both the AP and the league coaches.[2](https://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/cb/dre-kirkpatrick/) • [5](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/bengals/eus1xrs10p5menmticti.pdf)
The 2011 Alabama defense he anchored led the nation in pass defense, allowing 116.3 yards per game, and in pass efficiency defense, at 83.9.[2](https://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/cb/dre-kirkpatrick/) In individual games that season, no pass was completed in his direction against Kent State, and he forced two fumbles in a 27–11 win at No. 23 Penn State.[2](https://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/cb/dre-kirkpatrick/)
In January 2012, after Alabama's national championship season, Kirkpatrick announced with running back [Trent Richardson](https://www.edgepedia.org/trent-richardson) that he would enter the 2012 NFL Draft, saying the chance to be a key part of the national championship team made a fitting end to his Alabama career.[6](https://rolltide.com/news/2012/1/12/Tide_Trio_Announces_Decision_to_Enter_NFL_Draft)
## Draft evaluation
Scouting reports converged on a consistent profile: a large, physical cornerback with press-coverage skill and uneven technique. At the 2012 Scouting Combine he measured 6'1⅝" and 186 pounds with 30⅝-inch arms, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds, and posted a 35-inch vertical and a 10'0" broad jump.[2](https://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/cb/dre-kirkpatrick/) Sideline Scouting called him the hardest-hitting corner available in the draft, praised his ability to jam receivers and force reroutes, and noted he looked like a safety roaming around at times, while flagging short arms, questionable ball skills, overaggressiveness that drew penalties, and a 4.51 forty that was very good but not elite.[2](https://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/cb/dre-kirkpatrick/) [Bleacher Report](https://www.edgepedia.org/bleacher-report)'s draft analysis quoted Pro Football Weekly's Nolan Nawrocki on the same concerns, including modest career production, only three career interceptions, and durability questions, while [NFL Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfl-network)'s Chad Reuter argued Kirkpatrick's burst and length would let him thrive in a zone scheme.[7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1160868-dre-kirkpatrick-to-bengals-video-highlights-scouting-report-and-analysis)
One scheme-specific gap surfaced after the draft. Kirkpatrick had played press man coverage in a Cover 2 scheme at Alabama and, in his own words, "I never backpedaled" there, so his first [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati) offseason was spent learning to sit back and read receivers, which he described as not looking pretty over his first three days of practice.[8](https://www.nfl.com/news/dre-kirkpatrick-i-never-backpedaled-at-alabama-09000d5d829e35c0) Weeks before the draft he had been arrested for marijuana possession; the charges were eventually dropped.[2](https://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/cb/dre-kirkpatrick/)
## NFL career
**Cincinnati Bengals, 2012–2019.** The Bengals selected Kirkpatrick 17th overall on April 26, 2012, and signed him on May 18.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) His rookie season was minimal: five games, no starts, and a move to injured reserve on December 25, 2012.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) He then worked into the lineup, starting 3 games in 2013, 2 in 2014, and becoming a full-time starter from 2015 through 2018, with 15, 14, 14, and 13 starts respectively.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) His best statistical seasons came in that stretch: 70 tackles and 16 passes defensed in 2015, and 55 tackles, 14 passes defensed, and his 101-yard interception return in 2017.[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/dre-kirkpatrick/stats/career) He returned to Cincinnati on a free-agent signing on March 10, 2017, after briefly reaching unrestricted free agency.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) Injuries cut into his final Bengals seasons, with injured reserve moves in December 2018 and November 2019, and the team released him on March 31, 2020.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html)
**Arizona Cardinals, 2020.** Kirkpatrick signed with Arizona on August 23, 2020, started 11 of 14 games at right cornerback, and recorded 56 tackles and 3 interceptions.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html) • [3](https://www.nfl.com/players/dre-kirkpatrick/stats/career)
**San Francisco 49ers, 2021.** He signed with San Francisco on September 14, 2021, appeared in 6 games with 1 start, and was released on November 16, 2021, ending his career with 119 games, 79 starts, and 10 seasons.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html)
Across the whole career he totaled 13 interceptions, of which 2 were returned for touchdowns (21 yards in 2013 and 30 yards in 2014), 72 passes defensed, 3 sacks, and 358 total tackles per NFL.com's count.[3](https://www.nfl.com/players/dre-kirkpatrick/stats/career) Penalties were a recurring cost: Pro Football Archives logs 61 penalties called over his career, including 15 in 2015 alone, for 620 yards accepted.[1](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html)
## The 101-yard interception return
In 2017, Kirkpatrick picked off a pass and returned it 101 yards to the 1-yard line, setting up a Cincinnati touchdown.[9](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2017/11/20/11_25_17_Auburn.pdf) The San Francisco 49ers' 2021 media release states he holds the NFL record for the longest interception return that did not result in a touchdown.[4](https://media.49ers.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/21143432/San-Francisco-49ers-vs.-Green-Bay-Packers-Week-3-Release.pdf)
## Off-field activity and family
During the 2018 offseason, Kirkpatrick hosted youth football and cheer camps, a celebrity basketball game co-hosted by former NBA forward [Zach Randolph](https://www.edgepedia.org/zach-randolph), and a nursing home tailgate party through his 21 Kids foundation.[4](https://media.49ers.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/21143432/San-Francisco-49ers-vs.-Green-Bay-Packers-Week-3-Release.pdf) His son, Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., became an Alabama defensive back; in November 2025, Alabama head coach [Kalen DeBoer](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalen-deboer) suspended him indefinitely after his arrest on charges of reckless endangerment, attempting to elude, and speeding.[10](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/08/30/29/00888/2025-11-05.pdf)
## References
1. [Dre Kirkpatrick Pro Football Record, Pro Football Archives](https://profootballarchives.com/players/k/kirk01830.html)
2. [Dre Kirkpatrick Scouting Report, Sideline Scouting](https://www.sidelinescouting.com/rankings/2012/cb/dre-kirkpatrick/)
3. [Dre Kirkpatrick Career Stats, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/dre-kirkpatrick/stats/career)
4. [Dre Kirkpatrick, San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers Week 3 Release (2021)](https://media.49ers.1rmg.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/21143432/San-Francisco-49ers-vs.-Green-Bay-Packers-Week-3-Release.pdf)
5. [Cincinnati Bengals 2013 Media Guide](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/upload/bengals/eus1xrs10p5menmticti.pdf)
6. [Tide Trio Announces Decision to Enter NFL Draft, Alabama Athletics (2012)](https://rolltide.com/news/2012/1/12/Tide_Trio_Announces_Decision_to_Enter_NFL_Draft)
7. [Dre Kirkpatrick to Bengals: Video Highlights, Scouting Report and Analysis, Bleacher Report (2012)](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1160868-dre-kirkpatrick-to-bengals-video-highlights-scouting-report-and-analysis)
8. [Dre Kirkpatrick: 'I never backpedaled' at Alabama, NFL.com (2012)](https://www.nfl.com/news/dre-kirkpatrick-i-never-backpedaled-at-alabama-09000d5d829e35c0)
9. [University of Alabama / Crimson Tide / Football game program (2017)](https://rolltide.com/documents/download/2017/11/20/11_25_17_Auburn.pdf)
10. [Palatka Daily News, November 5, 2025](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/08/30/29/00888/2025-11-05.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Cornerbacks › Active professional cornerbacks*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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