Christian Paul Kirksey (born August 31, 1992) is an American football linebacker for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. High school career Kirksey attended Hazelwood East High School in Hazelwood, Missouri, where he played on the football team and was coached by Mike Jones. He was first-team all-conference as a senior after earning honorable mention recognition as a junior. He recorded 163 tackles as a senior, with nine tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He helped his team win the state championship in his junior season and returned to playoffs the following year. In addition to football, Kirksey participated in track & field at Hazelwood East, where he competed in relays and jumping events, helping his team win the state championship as a junior. He placed ninth in the triple jump at the 2009 MSHSAA State T&F Championships, with a leap of 44 ft 1 in. At the 2010 Suburban North Conference Championship, he placed fourth in the long jump (20 ft 12 in) and took bronze in the triple jump (45 ft 6 in). Kirksey was considered a three-star recruit by the Rivals.com recruiting network. College career Kirksey enrolled at the University of Iowa, where he was a member of the Iowa Hawkeyes football team from 2010 to 2013. As a true freshman in 2010, he played in 10 games, primarily on special teams, recording six total tackles. In 2011, he started all 13 games for the Hawkeyes, recording 62 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, three pass break-ups and two forced fumbles. As a junior in 2012, he was named a team captain. He started all 12 games, recording 95 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two QB sacks. He also returned two interceptions for touchdowns (one 68 yards vs. Minnesota and one 18 yards against Indiana), had four recovered fumbles, two pass break-ups and one forced fumble. In 2013, as a senior and team captain, he started all 13 games at outside linebacker, finishing third on team with 104 tackles. He also had five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, two recovered fumbles and two forced fumbles, one interception and one pass break-up. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten following the season. Professional