2020 NFL Draft: Xavier McKinney the jack of all trades ready to be king

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 19: Xavier McKinney #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide tackles Tim Jordan #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - OCTOBER 19: Xavier McKinney #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide tackles Tim Jordan #9 of the Tennessee Volunteers at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Hunter Renfrow #13 of the Clemson Tigers attempts to catch the pass under pressure from Xavier McKinney #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Hunter Renfrow #13 of the Clemson Tigers attempts to catch the pass under pressure from Xavier McKinney #15 of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

A few final thoughts on McKinney…

Xavier McKinney is a versatile player who is going to change the complexion of an NFL defense because he can be effective in so many areas. Having an ultimate chess piece player like him is what allows NFL defenses to take that next step. Taking McKinney means you can’t limit him to one spot if you want to maximize his potential and production as a player.

His more in the box style doesn’t mean he doesn’t have the ability to provide you with some reps at the single high safety spot in certain situations. Despite not having an elite physical trait, he has an elite football trait which is his versatility to not just move around the defense but to produce quality reps at each spot. There isn’t much that he can’t do on the football field.

He gets wherever he needs to go due to his elite level football intelligence that allows him to often times play a step ahead of everyone else. He makes plays consistently because he trusts what he sees and puts himself in the right position.

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His rise this year comes in only his second year as a full-time starter which means he has even more room to grow. The production he has put together this year has shot his stock safely into first-round territory. Xavier McKinney is on a mission to take the spot as the best safety prospect in this draft class and that mission is very close to being  a complete prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft.