The Green Bay Packers made a somewhat surprising move when they picked up Xavier McKinney this week.
While there were rumors and the team has needed as much DB help as possible, the team hasn’t pulled the trigger on a free agency move this big since Za’darius Smith’s signing in 2019 (that’s arguable of course). This and the Josh Jacobs signing were a pleasant shock to Green Bay fans, though part of this is due to the best cap space the team has had in a long time.
McKinney isn’t exactly the biggest name in football, so many Packers fans might be in the process of learning right now what he’s about. Jeff Hafley’s defense is still new to Packers fans as well, so it’s worth a look to predict how the new and exotic McKinney will fit into a new and exotic defense.
Who Is Xavier McKinney?
McKinney is a 4-year veteran who’s played for the Giants, that much is known by most people. He’s 6 foot tall and ran a 4.6 so he’s got decent natural speed.
Starting with his college career, Xavier played at Alabama University. While he was there he racked up 108 tackles, 6 sacks, and 5 interceptions in just 2 seasons of starting. Nick Saban was very vocal about his praise of McKinney, insinuating that McKinney was in a way the center of his 2018/2019 defenses on a few occasions.
McKinney was picked by New York in the first round of the 2020 draft. Even back then he was rumored to be joining the Packers, but instead, the team controversially went with Jordan Love. Years later, the team has both players who have transitioned well to the pros, so it’s a win-win.
Xavier’s stats in the pros have been equally as impressive as his college stats, despite playing on some shaky defenses with a lack of a supporting class. While playing in the Big Apple Xavier racked up 279 tackles, 9 interceptions, and 2 FF.
How Will Xavier McKinney Play A Role In Jeff Hafley’s Defense?
Jeff Hafley’s defense is a bit of an outlier in what it’s attempting to do. Cover 5, or Cover 2 with man coverage underneath, isn’t a common defense whatsoever in the modern NFL.
That’s Hafley’s preferred scheme. It requires a dominant 4 man rush and really solid run defense all around. If the Packers can get the right talent in the front seven, then the Cover 5 can work wonders.
Safeties are probably the least important position in this type of defense, which probably means Hafley is going to employ a lot more Cover 1, and maybe even some zone coverage, now that the Packers have acquired Xavier.
Xavier’s dynamic abilities allow Hafley to be extremely creative now. If he wants to run more zone, he has a really solid zone safety who can keep plays in front of him. If he wants to blitz, he has a safety who can make plays in the box.
Most importantly, Xavier McKinney helps solidify a run defense that has been inconsistent for a long time. It’s shown flashes, but it’s also been run on in too many big games.