The Miami Dolphins added a ton of new players to their roster this offseason, including four drafted rookies and 13 undrafted free agents.
One of those new, young faces around the building is safety Verone McKinley III. McKinley wasn’t selected in this year’s draft after a decent career at Oregon where he played alongside Jevon Holland before Holland opted out and was drafted.
Now, the two are reunited in Miami, but something else from college could be making the trip as well – McKinley’s nickname. At Oregon, the safety became known as “The General,” and the reasoning behind the nickname is probably one of the reasons the Dolphins were interested in bringing him in.
“So, ‘The General’ came about around 2020,” McKinley said after rookie minicamp this past weekend. “Jevon had opted out and somebody needed to step up. So, throughout camp and in the season, I was somebody who could control the defense, get guys lined up, know what everybody’s doing and be able to make adjustments kind of like a General. It started to grow throughout practice, different guys like ‘oh that’s The General.’ It was just something that blew up and then this year just after the Ohio State game it really just took off. That’s just something I kind of pride myself on knowing what to do, knowing what everyone does and having that responsibility knowing that I want on my shoulders and being able to let guys know that they can trust me.”
The Dolphins have a lot of nicknames going around right now, but McKinley’s speaks to his leadership ability and football acumen. If he can show that on the practice field throughout the summer, “The General” may be able to carve out a roster spot for himself.
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