No other defensive back meant more to its team than what Xavier McKinney meant to Alabama football last season.
As one of the four permanent team captains from 2019, McKinney carried the defense on his back and ran everything from his safety spot.
He gives the National Football League a complete package at his position, in terms of his ability to tackle, cover, create turnovers and pressure quarterbacks. Despite not being a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, the native Georgian stuffed the stats sheet – totaling a team-high 95 tackles (5.5 for loss), three sacks, five breakups, five quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles, one blocked kick, three interceptions and one touchdown.