I’m bracing myself to be confused on April 26.

That’s the first day of the NFL Draft. I’m ready for the likely scenario that 32 names will be called, and Christian Kirk’s won’t be one of them. I won’t have an explanation — at least not a good one — for why arguably the top receiver in the draft isn’t considered first-round worthy.

NFL Draft experts will try and provide an explanation. They’ll do what the mock-drafters have done. That is, assume a 5-10 receiver can only play in the slot, which means his usage is limited.

In my opinion, that’s lazy.

Those who watched Kirk make plays all over the field the past 3 years at Texas A&M could tell you that he’s as versatile as they come. Sure, he might be a slot receiver in the NFL. But turn on the film and watch him burn guys deep or watch him win 50-50 battles on the sidelines. If you get bored with that, watch him return kicks and punts back to the house.

The guy did it all from the moment he stepped on campus. He was a model of consistency despite some inconsistent quarterback play. His skill-set, his work ethic and his track record scream “NFL-ready player.”

Yet for one reason or another, I’m bracing for the disrespect.

Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe on basing that assumption too much on mock drafts. For Kirk, those have been all over the place. I saw him as high as No. 8 overall and even one that had him in the third round.

If I’m an NFL general manager and I draft Kirk in the third round, I’m doing the happy dance of all happy dances.

I mean, there’s no way Kirk slips all the way to the third round … right? If that happens, I will have lost my little remaining faith that I have in the NFL Draft system. Well, at least as it pertains to receivers.

Ever since that loaded 2014 draft (Odell Beckham, Mike Evans and Sammy Watkins), NFL teams look like they have no idea what a first-round receiver looks like. Thirteen receivers were drafted in the first round the past 3 years. Only one (Amari Cooper) has made a Pro Bowl. Meanwhile, the likes of Mike Thomas, Tyreek Hill, Tyler Lockett and Pharoh Cooper all made Pro Bowls already despite the fact that they weren’t first-round picks.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Kirk joined that group. It’s interesting because the NFL.com player comp for Kirk is Pharoh Cooper, who was a fourth-round pick after starring at South Carolina. On the surface, that makes sense. Both had solid 3-year careers as All-SEC receivers despite the fact that they went through multiple quarterback changes (and it wasn’t like they were working with NFL signal-callers). Both were in the slot build at 5-10 or 5-11 and around 200 pounds, and both were elite returners for their respective SEC teams.

But there’s something about Kirk that’s just different. Unlike Cooper, I felt like he could take over any game. Anybody who watched that Belk Bowl saw that one final time from Kirk. That was anything but typical slot receiver stuff. Any concerns about his explosiveness and ability to get downfield should’ve been squashed that day (via Cut Up Corner).

The odd thing is that all Kirk has done in the past few months is help himself. He was stellar at the combine with a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, 20 bench press reps (tied for fourth among receivers) and a 35.5-inch vertical, all of which were solid numbers given his perceived limitations.

And here’s the kicker. In terms of off-field or work ethic concerns, Kirk is ideal. How many college athletes to you know who are willing to wolf down daily liver smoothies? The guy is religious about his training, which includes acupuncture and the cold tub. That’s why Kirk says he never missed a game in his college career.

If I’m drafting a receiver in the first round, I want someone who already has those things down. Nobody will question Kirk’s ability to maximize his potential in the NFL. I don’t like to say anyone is ever bust-proof, but Kirk feels like as close to that as possible.

I’m not saying that he should be a top-5 pick or maybe not even a top-10 pick, but in this pass-heavy era of the NFL, why wouldn’t a sure-handed guy like Kirk have more value? It almost feels like the lack of elite receivers in this draft — at least that’s what the “experts” say — hurt Kirk in the process. Calvin Ridley might be the only consensus first-round pick while the perception is that receivers who aren’t 6-1 like Kirk and Maryland’s D.J. Moore make more sense on Day 2.

Never mind the fact that Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown, aka the 2 best receivers in the NFL, aren’t 6 feet tall.

I’d love to hear how different this conversation would be about Kirk if he was 6-1 instead of 5-10 1/2. There’d be no doubt that he’d be a consensus first-rounder, and maybe he’d be a consensus top-10 pick.

But he isn’t 6-1. In the eyes of plenty of mock drafters and maybe a bunch of NFL teams, Kirk isn’t first-round worthy either. A few years from now, they’ll all be scratching their heads wondering why they messed up Kirk’s evaluation.

I have a feeling I’ll be scratching my head much sooner.