15. Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama
Height: 6’0″ Weight: 201
40-Yard Dash: 4.63 seconds
Bench Press: 19 reps
Vertical Jump: 36.0 inches
Broad Jump: 122.0 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: A four-star recruit out of Roswell, Georgia, McKinney committed to Alabama in his junior year of high school, backed out, and then re-committed to the Crimson Tide after considering Ohio State, Clemson, and Georgia. 2018 was his first year as a full-time starter, and he ended that season as the Defensive MVP of the Orange Bowl. Over three seasons, McKinney totaled 176 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, six sacks, five forced fumbles, 20 passes defensed, and five interceptions. Moreover, he did it all over the field.
“I’m the type of guy that I want to impact the game in every way that I can. If I think I’m able to have an effect in blitzing and covering or whatever it is, I’ll always mention it to coach, and say, ‘Hey, I can do this. Maybe we should try this.’ There have been times where I’ve done that. But they also know what I can do and my ability so they try their best to put me in the best situation and the best possible situation to have a good result.”
Stat to Know: Versatile, indeed. In 2019, McKinney played 285 snaps in the box, 272 snaps at free safety, and 227 snaps in the slot. He also had 34 snaps as a pass-rusher.
Strengths: As a free safety, McKinney brings good pre-snap diagnostics and a smooth backpedal to the position. Played well in both single-high and two-deep looks. Versatility forces opposing offenses to pay attention when he fakes lurk looks from the deep third. As a slot defender, McKinney has the spatial awareness to work against quick inside receivers and can trail speed receivers up the seam. Intent on reading quarterbacks wherever he’s aligned. Can turn and burn against post receivers as a single-high safety. Excellent blitzer who also looks to make people pay for going over the middle. Good ball skills in intermediate to deep stuff. Has an excellent sense of the transition between short and deep coverage.
Weaknesses: A little tight in the hips, which leads to abrupt turns in coverage at times. Recovery speed isn’t great, and he’ll occasionally lose leverage to quicker receivers on two-way concepts, especially against receivers who know how to fake their moves to one side. This issue could be magnified at the NFL level. Works coverage up the chute more out of a bail alignment at times to adjust.
Conclusion: The “jack-of-all-trades, master of none” tag does not apply to McKinney in any way. It is unusual for a player to be as effective at three different positions as he is, even in this era of versatility, and even in a defense where such versatility has been prized and developed. Though I would use him more as a true safety at the second and third levels of a defense, McKinney has legitimate starter potential just about everywhere on the field — and that will make him a very dangerous weapon in the hands of the right defensive coordinator.
NFL Comparison: Minkah Fitzpatrick. Like McKinney, Fitzpatrick played multiple defensive back positions for Nick Saban before the Dolphins took him 11th overall in the 2018 draft. Fitzpatrick took that versatility to Miami where he became, among other things, one of the NFL’s most effective slot cornerbacks. But when the Steelers traded for him in 2019, they turned him into more of a pure free safety, where Fitzpatrick also excelled due to his athletic gifts. Similarly, I think as much as McKinney could be a Swiss army knife at the next level, he also has the potential to increase his time at free safety in the NFL. It all depends on what his coaching staff wants him to do.