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Selection 2.43 Benardrick McKinney ILB Miss. St.

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badboy said:
cool I always go to last post I have read then read forward, takes a bit longer but I tend to catch up better.
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so do I but I was already caught up :)

I commented on their accuracy on 194
 
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Benardrick McKinney's Mississippi State journey

By: Bob Carskadon | www.HailState.com

What would you even do with him?

The tall, lanky quarterback and punter at Rosa Fort High School in Tunica, Miss., had the look of person whose body couldn’t quite keep up with itself. Benardrick McKinney was 6’5” and just squeaked over 200 pounds on the scale.

His frame and position had him in football no man’s land.

With a population hovering around 1,000 people, everyone in town knew McKinney, the do-everything athlete for Rosa Fort who they were sure would be a star one day, and really he already was in their minds. Problem was, no one outside of Tunica seemed to agree. They didn’t even know who he was, let alone have any expectations for him. Except, eventually, for the coaches at Mississippi State.

McKinney showed up to a high school summer camp at MSU and where others may have seen a kid goofily trying to grow into his own frame, the Bulldogs’ coaches saw a future stud linebacker. The only real offer he had, McKinney happily accepted and found himself on a college campus the next summer.

Arriving at 215 pounds, he surely had a few teammates scratching their heads. But by the end of his redshirt year, he’d grown to 235 pounds. By the time spring practice finished the next semester, he had senior linebackers, longtime coaches and a throng of media singing his praises, proclaiming he was the next big thing. After a year in practice of chasing down quarterbacks, snagging interceptions and fighting his way up the depth chart, McKinney emerged as a starter in his very first year of playing in the SEC.

That 2012 season, McKinney was Freshman All-SEC, All-American and Player of the Week on one occasion. He racked up 102 tackles, tops among SEC freshmen, including games with 14 tackles (Texas A&M) and 12 tackles (Tennessee) each.

By the time he finished his sophomore season in 2013, he was leading the team in sacks and tackles, and he had seemingly become the only person who could chase down Johnny Manziel, dropping him in the backfield twice in College Station. Now at a full 250 pounds and burgeoning star in the SEC, the concern from MSU fans wasn’t if McKinney would be worth the scholarship. No, they were worried he’d leave school early for the NFL Draft, being eligible as a redshirt sophomore.

In only three years, McKinney had gone from a skinny and unwanted high school quarterback to a physical freak SEC linebacker with NFL star already penciled in to his life story.

His numbers to that point were impressive, as were his size and speed. However, those stats didn’t quite do justice to just how athletic McKinney was and still is. In the summer of 2013, the middle linebacker had a 41.5-inch vertical, better than every single receiver at that year’s NFL Combine. He ran the 40 in 4.58 seconds, could do 30 pull-ups and was able to leg press 1,100 pounds. As a sophomore.

He could have gone straight to the pros after that sophomore season, but McKinney announced his return, speaking honestly in a school-released video that “I’m coming back for one more year.”

He didn’t necessarily stay in school for himself. He stayed for the team, for what he thought was the potential for a special year. So he and fellow junior Dak Prescott took over. That summer, usually a slow time for players of nothing but class and weightlifting, they got to work.

As respective leaders of the defensive and offensive players, McKinney and quarterback Prescott led what nearly amounts to full practices on their own after required workouts. ‘Skills and Drills,’ as they called it, was voluntary, but everyone on the team showed up. No one wanted to let down their teammates, and certainly no one wanted to get on McKinney or Prescott’s bad side. Split into two, McKinney coached the defense and Prescott coached the offense. They would run the team through positional drills, two-minute drills and the like. They would even lead film sessions on occasion. In a time of year when coaches aren’t allowed contact, the pair took charge themselves. MSU was going to have a program-changing season in 2014, and McKinney was going to make sure of it.

Sure enough, it happened.

The Bulldogs won their first nine games, ascended to No. 1 in the country, hosted College GameDay, earned a Sports Illustrated cover and became the surprise team of the year starting the season 9-0 and tearing through the conference.

The finish to the year was not what McKinney or anyone else wanted, dropping games to Alabama and Ole Miss down the stretch, but MSU became a different team in 2014. They earned respect, changed expectations and took their spot in the top tier of the SEC.

The reasons for the success and the players involved are many, but much of it began when the lanky kid from Tunica found his way to Mississippi State. Next up for McKinney, the Houston Texans and the NFL.
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DBCooper said:
Thanks Playoffs!

The more I see and find out about this guy has me very excited!
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I'd really rather have my run specialist playing ILB than SS. But I don't know how you cover up the inside receivers when you do this. Perhaps an inside Zone paired with an outside man on man?

I'll trust Romeo to figure it out.
 
So the Texans traded up for this guy in part because they know where this guy is going to fit.

Where is that? Inside or outside?
 
infantrycak said:
Not sure why this question keeps coming up. OB has very clearly stated inside. He has only had the mildest of qualifier that he's athletic enough to learn to play outside at some point.
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Can you point me to the statement or conversation where this was clearly stated? Obviously my googling skills arent doing the trick.

Ignore that. I just found something. Thanks.

First site that gave me what I needed was http://www.becausenews.com/news/294408.html. How strange.
 
Blake said:
Can you point me to the statement or conversation where this was clearly stated? Obviously my googling skills arent doing the trick.

Ignore that. I just found something. Thanks.
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(on if McKinney is a three down linebacker in their vision) “In our vision, we feel like he can do some things on third down, we think he’s a versatile player. We’re going to start off at the inside position and teach him that position. Then as time goes on, do some things possibly with him on the outside, but primarily he’ll be an inside linebacker. I do believe that he can do some things on third down, but primarily he’ll be a first and second down inside linebacker and then we’ll go from there.”
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I'm just speaking to his versatility as I think it was a plus to his getting drafted. I'd imagine getting the four best backers on the field as often as possible will be part discussions between OB and RAC.
 
Rookie linebacker Benardrick McKinney working hard to ‘get better every day’
Aaron Wilson

Benardrick McKinney is about as philosophical as any rookie in the NFL, which is to say there isn’t a ton of time for him to reflect on his status. He’s far too busy absorbing the playbook.

The Texans’ rookie inside linebacker appears to be a quick study, though, as he continues to learn the ropes from linebackers coach Mike Vrabel, the former New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs standout linebacker, along with veteran players like inside linebacker Brian Cushing.

“I’m just taking coaching from all of my coaches and just trying to make the defense better and on special teams,” McKinney said. “I get better every day. Coach Vrabel and a lot of these guys are on me. They’re trying to make me a great linebacker.”

The Texans have identified a ton of potential in McKinney, an athletic 6-4, 246-pound former Mississippi State standout who played quarterback in high school growing up in Tunica, Miss.

An All-American in college, McKinney reacts quickly to the football and has a long wingspan to ward off blocks. As a taller inside linebacker. McKinney has to continue working on maintaining a low pad level to gain lverage against blockers and break down into a fundamentally sound tackling position against shorter running backs.

McKinney had 244 career tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and seven pass breakups in 39 games.

Drafted in the second round with the 43rd overall pick and signed to a four-year, $5.345 million contract that includes $3.26 million guaranteed and a $2.147 million signing bonus, McKinney had an official visit with the Texans prior to the NFL draft along with the Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.

“We’ve talked a little bit here and there,” Cushing said earlier this offseason. “I’ve been in this situation, too. I’ve been a rookie and I was there one day, so I know what it’s like to be there right now and kind of unsure of the system and what you’re doing. Anything I can do to help them and anything they ask, everyone’s willing to help.”

McKinney was the Bulldogs’ first All-American linebacker since 1999. He was also an All-Southeastern Conference selection.

McKinney piled up 71 tackles, eight for losses and three sacks last season. As a junior, he had 71 tackles, seven for losses and 3.5 sacks. As a freshman, McKinney had 102 tackles.

McKinney threw 15 touchdown passes as a senior quarterback at Rosa Fort (Miss.) and rushed for seven touchdowns. He also was the punter. His only scholarship offers out of high school, except for Mississippi State, were from junior college.

By the end of his college career, though, McKinney had developed into a freakish physical talent as a linebacker who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds at the NFL scouting combine in February where he also had a 40 ½ inch vertical leap. McKinney only bench pressed 225 pounds 16 times, a more respectable number for a defensive back than an inside linebacker, but is working to develop his upper body strength.

“Coach Vrabel is on me a lot,” McKinney said. “He’s a great teacher. I’m just learning the defense as fast as I can. It’s tough, but it’s fun.”​
 
I keep hearing the coaches going out of their way it seems, to talk about McKinney. Its sounding like the Texans can have the next great LB group if Cush comes back to 3/4 of his old self. With Whitney developing into a better pro, and hoping JD becomes who everyone thinks he is ,this defense can be really scary this year. I don't even have to mention JJ in that cuz you just know he's going to be JJ. I'll take a tall glass please:koolaid:
 
Do not forget John Simon. I think he's going to be tough to get out of that starting spot, and when Clowney comes back, I wouldn't be surprised to see Simon on one side and Clowney on the other.
 
Tania Ganguli@taniaganguli
#Texans rookie Benardrick McKinney was wearing a big knee brace on his right knee at practice today.​


Injured early vs. DEN, some smart guy put him back on the field where he was described as "limping badly"... continued to play on it.

Sounding like the makings of another medical malaprop...?
 
Playoffs said:
Tania Ganguli@taniaganguli
#Texans rookie Benardrick McKinney was wearing a big knee brace on his right knee at practice today.​


Injured early vs. DEN, some smart guy put him back on the field where he was described as "limping badly"... continued to play on it.

Sounding like the makings of another medical malaprop...?
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badboy said:
cannot find anything on injury
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It's simple...........He's not really injured..........He's always wanted to emulate and look just like his long-time hero, Cushing.

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Well I don't see it so far. All this praise for someone who hasn't shown even a flash of what all these fluff pieces describe. Didn't like him when we picked him still don't. Still hoping I'm wrong.
 
The Pencil Neck said:
Do not forget John Simon. I think he's going to be tough to get out of that starting spot, and when Clowney comes back, I wouldn't be surprised to see Simon on one side and Clowney on the other.
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Me neither.

Not sure if they'd go with a healthy rotation or try to move on from mercilus if clowney stays healthy and is productive.
 
mussop said:
Well I don't see it so far. All this praise for someone who hasn't shown even a flash of what all these fluff pieces describe. Didn't like him when we picked him still don't. Still hoping I'm wrong.
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Hope has to be that they can use his tools and coach him up because I didn't really see it either. Not a complete player.

Decent against the run but I don't think he's so good that it overwrites his other deficiencies.
 
Playoffs said:
Aaron Wilson @AaronWilson_NFL
Texans rookie Benardrick McKinney has mild sprained medial collateral ligament, according to sources, team hopes he'll return soon​
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illustration-of-right-knee.jpg





This is the mechanism by which the MCL is torn.......commonly from a tackle force coming in directly from the side.

LLIstress.jif



It is also the maneuver for stress testing the MCL for pain to gauge healing.

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If it is a Grade I MCL tear, he can expect to return to play within 1-2 weeks. If a Grade II tear, closer to 3-4 weeks. This particular injury's return to play can be fairly variable, and entirely dependent upon the ligament no longer being tender to palpation and no longer painful to stressing of the inside of the joint (stretching of the MCL: see pic immediately above)........and not because the knee or player has been shot up in order not to feel the tenderness or pain.
 
I have more issue with what's above his shoulders than an injury below his hips. This IMO would be a good chance to red-shirt (IR) McKinney and groom him for a specific position instead of the tweener that we drafted.
 
silvrhand said:
sprained not torn, big difference
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Sprain essentially equals tear.

Grade I ligament sprain.................................micro tears of the ligament
Grade II ligament sprain................................partial tear of the ligament
Grade III ligament sprain...............................complete tear of the ligament
 
I'm no 20 yo pro athlete, but my grade III MCL tear healed on its own in about 2 months. I just had to wear a brace. I didn't get to try doing again what tore it in the first place for another month or two.
 
paycheck71 said:
I'm no 20 yo pro athlete, but my grade III MCL tear healed on its own in about 2 months. I just had to wear a brace. I didn't get to try doing again what tore it in the first place for another month or two.
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I didn't mention in my above post what the possible return to play in a football player might be for a Grade 3 MCL tear...............realistically, anywhere from 8-16 weeks.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Sprain essentially equals tear.

Grade I ligament sprain.................................micro tears of the ligament
Grade II ligament sprain................................partial tear of the ligament
Grade III ligament sprain...............................complete tear of the ligament
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So, how smart was it to put McKinney back on the field after the injury,

Where he was described as limping noticeably?
 
Playoffs said:
So, how smart was it to put McKinney back on the field after the injury,

Where he was described as limping noticeably?
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I guess they figured that he still had one good knee......no reason to waste his opportunity for gaining NFL experience..............what predictably resulted in a poor experience. :backsout:
 
i had hight hopes for this player however it seems he's a slow learner. I read where he led the team in tackles against Denver with 6 but watching his play I don't think he would be seeing much playing time when season starts. Maybe this injury might give him a chance to get up to speed on playbook and positioning. i know it's best to get up to speed playing but he seems overwhelmed.
 
ghostlight said:
i had hight hopes for this player however it seems he's a slow learner. I read where he led the team in tackles against Denver with 6 but watching his play I don't think he would be seeing much playing time when season starts. Maybe this injury might give him a chance to get up to speed on playbook and positioning. i know it's best to get up to speed playing but he seems overwhelmed.
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Unfortunately, a rookie doesn't get up to NFL speed by simply speed reading the playbook.
 
For the Texans to release it at all probably means he's going on IR. Oh well, he wasn't going to be a major contributor anyhow. Of course, Cushing is a lock to go down somewhere along the way. Good thing we're deep in good ILB's. We should keep an extra one.
 
Putting his injury aside for a moment

What exactly are the realistic expectations of a rookie LB drafted in the 2nd round?
 
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