Eric Eager, Pro Football Focus
McKinney has been one of college football’s best safeties over the last two years, producing a two-year overall grade that is among the five best in the FBS. He’s played in the box, in the slot and at deep safety close to the same amount and while he was good in the box and in the slot, McKinney was at his peak playing free safety. At that alignment, McKinney produced an elite two-year coverage grade and was responsible for only two first downs on his 246 coverage snaps while intercepting four and forcing one incompletion. He’s an absolute ballhawk in coverage and has shown to bring value as a blitzer too with 21 pressures in his 71 pass-rush snaps since 2018.
While splash plays at safety catch people’s eye, guys that consistently execute their role at a high level can be more difficult to spot over a small sample size. That’s one of the biggest advantages of PFF grades is identifying the guys who, like McKinney, fit the bill of the latter. Whether it’s his work in run support, underneath zone coverage, as a blitzer, or as a deep safety, McKinney did it all extremely well over the past two seasons. For only a true junior, McKinney has a feel for the game that’s rare for a player his age.