HOUSTON — Benardrick McKinney squared up and took aim at Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller, delivering a punishing shoulder tackle to stop him shy of the goal line.
During a physical drill where the defense excelled, McKinney was among the leaders as he reacted instinctively to the football.
“You get to see who wants to be out there,” McKinney said. “I love hitting anyone. I love flying around and having fun. As a defense we all love hitting. We love flying to the ball. We have a great coaching staff who’s pushing us to make a lot of tackles and just have fun and just play our game.”
McKinney spent his rookie season tackling running backs while absorbing knowledge about the Texans’ intricate defensive playbook.
A year into his NFL career, a lot of growth is expected from the athletic starting inside linebacker.
The Texans want to utilize McKinney more this year as a pass rusher and in pass coverage where he’s been picking up the nuances of how to shadow receivers and had some impressive moments during offseason practices.
At a lean 6-foot-4, 246 pounds with 4.65 speed in the 40-yard dash and a 40 1/2 inch vertical leap, McKinney is one of the most athletic players on the Texans’ defense.
And Texans linebackers coach Mike Vrabel expects to see even bigger contributions from the former second-round draft pick from Mississippi State after watching him record 68 tackles, including seven for losses and sack, as a rookie.
“We do, he’s able to be in there like he was to finish the season,” Vrabel said of McKinney, who played in 14 games and started 11 last season. “He did a nice job for us. He’s working hard, learning, getting better. We do expect a lot from B-Mac .
“His attitude, his energy, his love for the game, he knows what we expect. His leadership, his physicalness, his relentlessness to the ball, that’s what he expects from himself.”
Texans coach Bill O’Brien ranks McKinney, as one of the AFC South champions’ most improved players
“I would say one guy on defense that I haven’t been asked a lot about that I think has really improved during the offseason and was improving at the end of last year is Benardrick McKinney,” O’Brien said. “Benardrick McKinney is a guy that really understands our defense well right now. He has got a very unique skill set, can do a lot of different things, not just play inside linebacker.
“He can help us on special teams. He can help us on third down. He can do a lot of different things for us. So, I think he’s a guy who has improved quite a bit.”
McKinney was thinking less and reacting more by the end of last season, relying again on the aggressiveness and instincts that made him a consensus All-American at Mississippi State.
“It felt good to be back, a long time without pads on,” McKinney said. “Every day I was walking through the house just imagining making plays. Guys like Vince Wilfork, I couldn’t have done it without them holding it down, just penetrating into the backfield. I’m just doing what my coaches ask me to do and fly to the ball.”
During a pivotal victory over the Indianapolis Colts last December that helped the Texans win the AFC South division title, McKinney had seven tackles, his lone sack of the season and two tackles for losses. He helped limit the Colts to 50 rushing yards as veteran runner Frank Gore was stonewalled and gained just 44 yards.
Now, the defense is off to a fast start so far at camp.
“We have juice, we’re going to always have juice,” McKinney said. “Camp just started, we’re trying to get back into a groove, go out and try to prove every day, just improve every day. We’re just trying to make our way to the top and be a dominant defense.”