MCKINNEY DEVELOPS AT LB.
Athletic, versatile second-year pro relays defensive calls with Cushing out injured, leads team in tackles with 29
Growing up in Mississippi, Benardrick McKinney idolized athletic quarterbacks like Michael Vick and Tim Tebow.
He envisioned himself operating in a similar versatile manner as a dual-threat high school quarterback.
“To be honest, I liked offense, the quarterbacks,” said McKinney, a former starting quarterback at Rosa Fort High School in Tunica, a town of roughly 1,000 residents. “I didn’t really like the linebackers.”
McKinney (6-4, 260) outgrew the quarterback position and emerged as a consensus All-American linebacker at Mississippi State.
Now, it’s McKinney’s job to chase down quarterbacks and running backs.
Drafted in the second round last year, McKinney, 23, is one of the Texans’ most improved players and is regarded as one of the NFL’s top young inside linebackers. Getting noticed around NFL
“I love how aggressive and athletic McKinney is,” an NFL personnel director told the Chronicle on condition of anonymity. “I wish he was on our team. This guy shoots through gaps so fast. Even though he’s tall, he plays with a great pad level and is an explosive hitter with sideline-to-sideline range and can run all day. He’s got a very bright future in this league.”
McKinney is hitting his stride as the Texans’ leading tackler and is tied for fifth in the NFL with 29 tackles. McKinney recorded a career-high 16 tackles during a 27-0 loss to New England on Sept. 22.
McKinney has upgraded his awareness, instincts and knowledge of defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel’s schemes. He’s bigger and stronger than last season but hasn’t sacrificed any speed. Adjusting to speed of the game
“Just listening to coaches, watching film, basically just trusting my keys and doing my job,” McKinney said. “Last year, I was trying to do too much. I’m just being comfortable. The game has definitely slowed down for me.”
Getting too excited and overpursuing was something of an issue for McKinney as a rookie. He started 11 games and finished the season with 58 tackles and one sack, but he wasn’t as much of a factor as a pass rusher as he is now.
As the protégé of veteran Texans middle linebacker Brian Cushing, McKinney has provided leadership and aggressiveness. Although McKinney is prone to the occasional lapse in his pursuit angles, he’s capable of taking an incorrect step and compensating for mistakes with his superior speed and size.
McKinney has worn the helmet device to communicate the defensive calls into the huddle with Cushing sidelined the past two games with a sprained knee. Cushing is expected to return Sunday and has been impressed with McKinney’s work.
“Stepped up big time,” Cushing said. “He made a lot of plays, had a lot of tackles and overall just played two very good games in Kansas City and New England back to back.”
McKinney is a key part of the defense as the Texans square off against Tennessee’s prolific running game headlined by DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry.
“With their running game, it’s a big strong, physical running game,” Crennel said. “Everybody is going to have to play good, but a linebacker like Benardrick McKinney, he’s going to have to continue what he’s been doing. Last week he made a lot of plays. That has to continue.”
By playing against the Patriots’ Jacoby Brissett, who hurt the Texans on readoption plays and keepers, McKinney has experience playing against a mobile quarterback.
It’s a preview of what the Texans will face Sunday against Marcus Mariota.
“We’re just going to do our job,” McKinney said. “We have great defensive linemen, great outside linebackers. If everyone on defense does their job, we should be good.” That’s about the size of it
A former center on his high school basketball team, McKinney is tall for an inside linebacker. He cuts an intimidating figure at the line of scrimmage and has displayed a relentless nature.
McKinney has run the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds and registered an eye-popping 40½-inch vertical leap.
“It’s kind of awesome being a tall linebacker,” McKinney said. “When offensive linemen come up on me, I have the length to get them off me.”
With the combination of size, speed and the experience he’s gaining, McKinney and the Texans are extremely upbeat about his career outlook.
“I’m excited,” McKinney said. “I’m just trying to get better every game and build my reputation not just on one game.”