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

Alabama Crimson Tide running back Kenyan Drake (17) carries against Mississippi State Bulldogs linebacker Benardrick McKinney (50). John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

In coverage …

Despite being an outstanding run defender and an effective pass rusher, McKinney is still a work in progress when it comes to dropping in coverage.

When he’s sitting in a zone and keeps the action in front of him, he can be a very effective roamer in the middle of the field.

In this next clip against Alabama, watch how he closes in on the ball after the back catches the pass.

He reacts quickly to the catch and is able to take down the back for a minimal gain.

McKinney is also very good against defending screen passes and swing routes in the flat.

Watch on this next play how he anticipates the throw and then closes in on the back to stop the play dead in its tracks.

McKinney is a great downhill defender and will make plenty of plays on the ball as long as the action is in front of him.

McKinney’s height also makes it more difficult for quarterbacks to throw over the top of him down the middle of the field, which gives him an advantage in coverage.

However, McKinney does struggle when asked to match up on a tight end or slot receiver.

In this next clip, watch how he loses his man and then gets beat by the Texas A&M receiver crossing over the middle of the field.

In all honesty, there aren’t many linebackers that can keep pace with receivers in the NFL, so I don’t view McKinney’s shortcomings in this department as that detrimental.

However, ideally teams would like their starting inside linebacker to hold up a little better in coverage so they don’t have to take him off the field on third down.

Having said this, McKinney possesses plenty of athletic ability and speed to be an adequate pass defender, but this will be an area of  his game he’ll have to work on improving once he’s in the NFL.