Getty Xavier McKinney #29 of the New York Giants is congratulated by James Bradberry #24 after intercepting a pass against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium.
Xavier McKinney only suited up for six games with the New York Giants in his rookie season. Yet, he’s certainly earning some brownie points with Big Blue faithful thanks to his budding disdain for the rest of the NFC East.
The former first-team All-SEC selection recently admitted he holds a grudge against the Philadelphia Eagles for their tank job during the final week of the 2020 regular season — clearly not the only division rival he continues to hold a grudge with.
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McKinney: ‘I Take it Personal Every Time I Play the Cowboys’
During the 2020 pre-draft process McKinney was lauded by many draft experts as the top safety in the class and a lock first-round prospect. Obviously, things did not go according to plan for the Alabama product, who slipped to the Giants at the top of the second round, an unexpected scenario McKinney deemed “the biggest heartbreak I ever felt.”
“The projections were I was supposed to go first round. That’s kind of all I was hearing. And obviously, it was going to be No. 17 to the Cowboys,” McKinney said on the All Things Covered podcast with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden.
The Cowboys ultimately opted for wideout CeeDee Lamb with their first pick, who showed flashes of brilliance as a rookie. Yet, it was McKinney who got the last laugh during the teams’ most recent matchup.
In Week 17 of last year, with the Cowboys threatening to take both the lead and potentially the division title, McKinney snagged his first career interception in the endzone with 75 seconds remaining in regulation, sending Dallas packing.
“I think everything came full circle for me,” McKinney said. “That was supposed to be the team that was going to get me. That was the team that talked to me a lot, and they liked me when I was interviewing and all that stuff. … Having that pick against the Cowboys was great because going into that game, I knew what we needed to do to have a chance to even make the playoffs. I knew it was a big game going in. I knew what was on the line.”
“For me, I take it personal every time I play the Cowboys for the rest of my career. That’s just how I feel about that situation,” he proclaimed.
McKinney’s next chance to get vengeance on Dallas will be in Week 5 of the upcoming season when the Giants travel to Arlington for their first of two matchups on the year.
McKinney Labeled Big Blue’s ‘Breakout Star’ of 2021
There’s no denying the skillset McKinney brings to the table. A multi-versatile defender, the 21-year-old was the lone player in all of college football over his final two years at Alabama to earn a 70.0-plus Pro Football Focus grade while aligned in the box, in the slot and at free safety.
While the Giants already deploy one of the league’s most vaunted safety tandems with Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan, NFL.com’s Adam Rank believes McKinney is simply too talented and too versatile to keep on the sidelines, labeling the safety as the team’s 2021 breakout star.
2021 breakout star: Xavier McKinney, safety. McKinney was considered a likely first-round pick leading up to the 2020 draft. It was kind of a surprise that he fell to Round 2, but it made him a great value for the Giants at No. 36 overall. McKinney played in just six games (four starts) during his rookie season after breaking his foot in training camp. Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan might be considered the team’s top safeties, but McKinney’s the kind of player that you won’t be able to keep off the field. It’s not going to surprise me if he plays a big role in 2021.
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Giants’ Xavier McKinney Sounds Off on ‘Personal’ Vendetta Against Cowboys