Film Study: Could Benardrick McKinney bring some punch to Green Bay Packers defense?

UAB Blazers quarterback Cody Clements (5) advances the ball and is tackled by Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker Benardrick McKinney (50). Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Generating pressure …

Teams will not only look at McKinney at inside linebacker, but they will also consider him at outside linebacker.

When given opportunities to rush the passer, McKinney shows a lot of promise. He recorded 6.5 sacks and 7 quarterback hurries in his last two seasons at Mississippi State.

If the Packers drafted McKinney, they could experiment with him at outside linebacker in certain defensive packages.

McKinney is quick off the edge. In this next clip, watch how he beats the left tackle off the snap to take down the quarterback.

McKinney has all of the athletic ability and explosion off the edge to be an effective rusher.

However, he can also generate pressure blitzing from the inside linebacker spot.

McKinney has an incredible short-area burst – something you will see on display in this next clip. Watch how quickly he gets into the backfield.

McKinney beats the guard off the snap and then levels the quarterback before he can get rid of the ball.

This is just a tremendous play that really demonstrates what McKinney brings to the table as a blitzer.

However, McKinney can also get pressure when asked to spy quarterbacks.

This next clip is from his sophomore season against Texas A&M. Watch how he sticks with Johnny Manziel and then closes in on the quarterback to prevent Manziel from getting to the outside.

McKinney has the speed and athletic ability to stick with the mobile quarterbacks in the NFL.

This would give the Packers a big advantage when facing the Russell Wilsons and Colin Kaepernicks of the world.