Takkarist McKinley

Takkarist Jaune McKinley (born November 2, 1995) is an American football defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins and was drafted by the Falcons in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Takkarist McKinley
McKinley in 2017
No. 98 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1995-11-02) November 2, 1995
Oakland, California
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
High school:John F. Kennedy
(Richmond, California)
College:UCLA
NFL Draft:2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Total tackles:71
Sacks:16.5
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

McKinley attended Kennedy High School in Richmond, California. He played for the Eagles football team.[1] He had 50 tackles and 15 sacks as a junior and 60 tackles and 11 sacks as a senior. He also ran track in high school.

College career

McKinley originally committed to the University of California, Berkeley but was ruled a non-qualifier and attended Contra Costa College.[2][3] During his one season at Contra Costa College in 2013, he had 33 tackles and 10 sacks. In September 2014, he transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).[4] He played in 10 games that season, making one start, and finished the year with 2.5 sacks.[5][6] As a junior in 2015, McKinley started 12 of 13 games, recording 35 tackles and 3.5 sacks.[7] As a senior in 2016, he recorded 10 sacks.[8]

Professional career

McKinley was invited to the NFL Combine as an outside linebacker and completed all the combine drills except for the short shuttle and three-cone drill. He went under surgery to repair a torn labrum and a fracture in his shoulder socket after the combine. His recovery time was expected to take four to six months, making him unable to participate at UCLA's Pro Day.[9] NFL draft experts and analystas projected McKinley to be selected in the first or second round. He was ranked the second best outside linebacker in the draft by NFL analyst Bucky Brooks, the third best outside linebacker by NFLDraftScout.com, the fourth best edge rusher by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, the fifth best edge rusher by Sports Illustrated, and was ranked the fifth best defensive end by ESPN.[10][11][12][13][14]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		 250 lb
(113 kg)		 34 3⁄4 in
(0.88 m)		 9 3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		 4.59 s 1.60 s 2.67 s 4.62 s 7.48 s 33 in
(0.84 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		 24 reps
All values from NFL Combine[15][16]

McKinley was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round (26th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[17][18][19][20] On May 11, the Falcons signed McKinley to a four-year, $10.21 million contract with $7.89 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $5.57 million.[21] He played in all 16 games, recording 20 tackles and six sacks, good for fourth in the league among rookies and second on the team behind Adrian Clayborn.[22]

In Week 4 of the 2018 season, against the Cincinnati Bengals, McKinley recorded a career-high three sacks in the 37–36 loss.[23] He finished the season with 22 combined tackles and a team-high seven sacks.

In 2019, McKinley played in 14 games with 13 starts, recording 29 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He suffered a shoulder injury in Week 15 and was placed on injured reserve on December 17, 2019.[24]

On April 29, 2020, the Falcons declined the fifth-year option on McKinley's contract.[25]

References
  1. "Takkarist McKinley's draft by the Atlanta Falcons lifts Richmond acquaintances". KTVU. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  2. "From Eagle to Golden Bear, Kennedy High football star commits to Cal". Richmond Confidential. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  3. "Takkarist McKinley's journey to UCLA fueled by memory of his grandmother". Daily News. November 19, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  4. Cook, Everett. "Finally a Bruin, Takkarist McKinley works to adjust to college ball". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  5. "UCLA's Takkarist McKinley is bigger, smarter after full offseason with Bruins". San Bernardino Sun. November 11, 2014. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  6. "UCLA defensive end Takkarist McKinley has grown into the job". Orange County Register. August 14, 2015. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  7. "Takkarist McKinley: 'I'm going to be the best pass-rusher in the country'". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  8. "Pro comparisons for the 2017 NFL Draft's best pass rushers". Canal Street Chronicles. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  9. Jeff Legwold (March 4, 2017). "Takkarist McKinley to have shoulder surgery, says he'll miss 4-6 months". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  10. Chris Burke (April 25, 2017). "2017 NFL draft rankings: Top prospects by position". si.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  11. Jeff Legwold (April 22, 2017). "Ranking the 2017 Drafts Top 100 Prospects". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  12. "Takkarist McKinley, DS #3 OLB, UCLA". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  13. Bucky Brooks (April 12, 2017). "Bucky Brooks' top 5 2017 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0". NFL.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  14. Mike Mayock (April 12, 2017). "Mike Mayock's top 5 2017 NFL Draft prospects by position 3.0". nfl.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  15. "NFL Draft Profile: Takkarist McKinley". NFL.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  16. "Takkarist McKinley, DS #3 OLB, UCLA". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  17. Patra, Kevin (April 27, 2017). "Falcons trade up to 26 to select Takkarist McKinley". NFL.com.
  18. Hanzus, Dan (April 27, 2017). "Takkarist McKinley turns draft stage into movie climax". NFL.com.
  19. "Takkarist McKinley on emotional F-bomb: 'Probably got fined already'". ESPN. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  20. "VIDEO: Takkarist McKinley honors grandmother, drops F-bomb in most emotional moment of NFL draft". NY Daily News. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  21. "Sportrac.com: Takkarist McKinley contract". sportrac.com. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  22. "2017 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  23. "Falcons' Takkarist McKinley: Three sacks in loss". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  24. McFadden, Will (December 17, 2019). "Falcons place Takk McKinley on IR". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  25. Shook, Nick (April 29, 2020). "Falcons decline fifth-year option on Takkarist McKinley". NFL.com.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.