With the 36th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Alabama safety, Xavier McKinney. The defensive back excelled as a leader of the Alabama defense, racking up 175 tackles. His play in college led to him being drafted above other top secondary players, such as Antoine Winfield Jr. and Grant Delpit.
The young safety suffered a major blow when he broke his foot in the offseason. This led to McKinney not making his first appearance until nearly a third of the way through his rookie season. After a slow introduction to the defense, the Giants let McKinney go all out. He played in a majority of the defensive snaps in the final games of the 2020 season.
McKinney’s impact was felt in a secondary that was becoming one of the best in the NFL. In the last two games of the season, McKinney racked up 16 tackles and grabbed a game-ending interception.
The second-year safety will be fully healthy heading into this 2021 NFL season. He will also have the luxury of being in an extremely talented secondary. With corners James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson and safeties Logan Ryan and Jabrill Peppers, there won’t be an immense amount of pressure on McKinney. He will be able to learn the game and transition into different roles.
A larger workload is definitely in his future, but what will be the expectations for Xavier McKinney in 2021?
An Expanded Role for Xavier McKinney
McKinney will more than likely be put into a larger role. In the final game of last season, he played in 89% of the defensive snaps. In this upcoming season, this should be a regular occurrence. Consistent play will let McKinney catch up for time missed during his rookie season.
The future of starting strong safety Jabrill Peppers is still unsure. The Giants are yet to resign him to a new deal, and he will be a free agent after the end of this season. If New York feels they don’t see Peppers in their long-term plans, they may begin to place McKinney into that spot.
Opposite of Peppers is free safety Logan Ryan, who is an established veteran in the NFL. After a strong first season with the Giants, Ryan resigned with the team through 2023. The potential upside in this contract is that after 2022, there is an out. The two sides can go their separate ways. If a split were to happen, McKinney would slide directly into this spot.
McKinney will be in more of an expanded role and will more than likely play all over the secondary. His in-game speed and ability to understand offensive plays should help him immediately, regardless of position. There is potential that McKinney could turn into the number one leader of this defense, given proper time.
The flexibility that Xavier McKinney can bring to this defense is undeniable. He is able to play all throughout the secondary and the Giants will benefit from this. Heading into his rookie season, McKinney was often compared to New Orleans Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins. They are both athletic safeties that can understand what an offense is doing and can cover nearly every player on the field. If McKinney is able to play to a level of somewhat like Jenkins, he could become the NFL’s next defensive star.
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