General manager Brian Gutekunst and the Green Bay Packers struck gold when the franchise signed safety Xavier McKinney in the early hours of free agency this past spring.
McKinney was widely viewed as an ascending talent at the position, and the New York Giants’ puzzling decision to allow their former second-round draft choice to talk out of the building became the Packers’ opportunity to land a difference-maker at a vital position in defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s scheme.
In his first season in a Packers uniform, McKinney has far and away defied even the most optimistic of expectations.
Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team predicts McKinney will wind up a First-Team All-Pro selection for the first time in his career.
“McKinney has been a massive safety upgrade for the Packers,” Brooke writes. “Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 53.0 when targeting him, with seven interceptions and zero touchdowns allowed. He’s the perfect safety for Jeff Hafley’s defensive scheme, and the former Giants safety is thriving because of it.”
Opposing quarterbacks have certainly found throwing McKinney’s direction to be a no-fly-zone of sorts, as the 26-year-old has blossomed not only into a consistently dominant playmaker but one of the Packers’ strongest leadership voices, as well.
Xavier McKinney Captivating Packers Legends
Hall of Famer and former Packers safety LeRoy Butler believes McKinney has a lofty ceiling ahead of him in Green Bay.
“You know Wolverine,” Butler said of McKinney, during an appearance on the Between The Hashmarks podcast earlier this season. “You shoot him up and he comes back to life? That’s how X is. The offense will get a long pass, and everybody’s down, he’ll get a pick, and everybody’s up and excited. Somebody will miss a tackle, Xavier will make the next tackle and it just lifts everybody.
“Somebody was saying that he is the defensive MVP, I got offended, he’s the MVP. Who’s to say in five games, that he won’t get an interception every game? They have to throw the ball … ”
So far this season, McKinney has posted 70 total tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss, in addition to his prowess in coverage, quickly forging a reputation as one of the most feared and dominant safeties in the sport.
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