Xavier Alshon McKinney (born August 9, 1999) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He played college football at

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,7 ...

Early years

McKinney attended Roswell High School in

Roswell, Georgia Roswell is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States. At the official 2010 census, the city had a population of 88,346. The 2020 estimated population was 94,884, making Roswell the state's ninth largest city. A close suburb of Atla ...

. As a senior, he recorded 82 tackles and seven

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

. He committed to the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

to play college football.

College career

As a true freshman at Alabama in 2017, McKinney played in 13 games as a backup and special teams player. As a starter in 2018, he had 73 tackles, two interceptions and three sacks. He was named the defensive MVP of the

2018 Orange Bowl The 2018 Orange Bowl was a college football bowl game played on Saturday, December 29, 2018, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. The 85th edition of the Orange Bowl was one of two College Football Playoff semifinal games, the game featured two of ...

. On January 4, 2020, McKinney announced he would skip his senior season and would enter the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

Professional career

New York Giants

2020

McKinney was drafted by the

in the second round with the 36th overall pick in the

. On September 6, 2020, McKinney was placed on injured reserve with a fractured foot. He was activated on November 28, 2020. On January 3, 2021, against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

, McKinney recorded his first career interception off quarterback

Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Red Rifle", Dalton previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and ...

in the end zone with 1:24 remaining in the 4th quarter helping the Giants beat the Cowboys 23–19.

2021

On week 6 against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

McKinney intercepted 2 passes, one pass thrown by

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, where he was a first-team All-American, and was selected ...

intended for

Cooper Kupp Cooper Douglas Kupp (born June 15, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Eastern Washington, where he won the Walter Payton Award as a junior, ...

and the other pass thrown by

John Wolford John Thomas Wolford (born October 16, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wake Forest and signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted fr ...

also intended for Kupp. On November 3, 2021, the

announced that McKinney was in the COVID protocol. In Week 9 against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divi ...

, McKinney recorded seven tackles and intercepted two passes from

Derek Carr Derek Dallas Carr (born March 28, 1991) is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, where he twice received first-team All- MWC honors, and w ...

, returning one for a touchdown, helping the Giants beat the Raiders, 23-16. He was named NFC Defensive player of the Week as a result for his performance.

2022

During the Giants Week 9 bye week, McKinney suffered a broken hand in an ATV accident, which will sideline him for multiple weeks. He was placed on Reserve/Non-Football Injury. He was activated on December 31.

References

External links

New York Giants bioAlabama Crimson Tide bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:McKinney, Xavier 1999 births Living people African-American players of American football Alabama Crimson Tide football players American football safeties New York Giants players People from Roswell, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) Sportspeople from Fulton County, Georgia 21st-century African-American sportspeople