NFL Draft Hot Takes: Mississippi St. LB Benardrick McKinney
Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney is one of the best players in the 2015 NFL Draft at his position, and the purpose of this article is to convince you that our opinions of him are purely fact and that you should believe the same.
These are our Hot Takes of Benardrick McKinney, but you’ll find our analysis to be more of a refreshing hot take, rather than the steaming pile of garbage you might get elsewhere.
Like I said, McKinney is one of the best linebackers in the draft, and he’s also got the physical makeup of a defensive end. Check it out:
If you want to see the man at the office, take a look at some of his best work.
Surprisingly, the opinions of McKinney here at NFL Mocks were not universally positive. I expected a resounding “top linebacker in the draft” response from my staff here, but you’d be surprised at what guys had to say. Before we take a look at our hot takes, let’s have an appetizer of one of my personal favorites in the business, Mr. Lance Zeirlein of NFL.com.
“Productive, steady performer in the middle with above-average size and length for the position but below-average agility. McKinney plays within the scheme and finds himself near the play frequently. He plays with strength and has an ability to take on offensive linemen and get downhill to finish his tackles. McKinney looks like an above-average NFL inside linebacker who could become part of a really good defense. He lacks star-making talent, though.”
Zeirlein’s opinion is not universally shared in the scouting community, just like with the NFL Mocks staff. There were reports that came out on Monday that McKinney was being pursued by the St. Louis Rams, who were going to trade down in the first round or back in to the bottom end to snag the playmaking inside linebacker.
The NFL Draft annual from Pro Football Weekly had a report written up on McKinney that had a pretty glowing endorsement for him, saying you ‘can’t draft him high enough’.
Here’s what the NFL Mocks crew had to say:
Erik Lambert: “He has all the physical ability you want. Good range, size, strength to shed the block and a knack for delivering a pass rush via the blitz. It’s just sometimes he appears out of position or late to diagnose plays, which leads me to wonder about his football instincts. If that can improve, he’s going to be an even better pro than he was in college.”
Joe Wedra: “Benardrick McKinney is a prospect that I really cooled down on through the tape-watching process. At first, I saw an athletic player who could be a very viable early-mid Day Two prospect. However, as I dove deeper into the film, I found some issues. While very instinctive with a high motor, he too often takes the wrong route and misses opportunities. Missing tackles is also a major concern here. He fits in potentially at the end of Day Two, but he could end up slipping to the 4th round with other intriguing prospects at the LB spot.”
Jonah Tuls: “He is definitely one of the most physically intimidating linebackers I’ve ever seen come into the draft in years. He has great size/strength and pass rush ability as a blitzer. He almost looks like a defensive lineman playing middle linebacker. He has trouble moving in space and therefore gets abused in coverage sometimes. His best attribute is instead in the run game as he takes on blocks and sheds them with ease. All in all, He is an intriguing 3-4 ILB prospect in the 3rd Round, but because of the pass rush skills he possesses, I would stick him at the OTTO by drafting him in the second round.”
Charles McDonald: “I really like Bernardrick McKinney. I don’t really know where the notion that he doesn’t have range or instincts comes from, because he definitely has both. He’s an opposing presence versus the run (goal line stand versus LSU comes to mind) and he trusts his athleticism to get him to ball carrier. McKinney’s more than a two down thumper, he’s shown flashes in coverage and has the athletic ability to get better in that aspect. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if three years from now, we’re talking about McKinney as the best linebacker from this draft class. He does get lost in coverage sometimes, which knocks him a bit for me, but he’s shown the requisite ability to get better in that aspect. Solid late 1st round option.”
Now you’ve had the main course, time for dessert — my opinion.
I was primarily with Charles and Erik here, though I can see what the other guys were saying. I thought, for his size and what he was asked to do, McKinney held up pretty well in coverage. I think sometimes, too, we put a little too much stock in that. McKinney’s primary job is going to be to shut down running plays, to make sure everything ends at his line of defense, and to make things happen behind the line of scrimmage as a blitzer.
The more you ask him to be in coverage, it had probably better be primarily in a zone but I think an aggressive defense like the one he was in at Mississippi State would really suit his skill set.
In more ways than just his incredible size, McKinney reminds me a bit of Dont’a Hightower of the New England Patriots.
His speed and athleticism are going to translate really well to the NFL, and I think he’s only scratched the surface of what he can be. I see him as a mid-late first round pick that’s going to start in the NFL for a long, long time.