A couple of summers ago, I got the opportunity to interview Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen at 2015 SEC Media Days. I asked him about his current team, but mainly I wanted to get his thoughts on a rookie linebacker that the Texans had just drafted. When I mentioned the name Benardrick McKinney, Mullen’s eyes lit up.
“Hey, y’all are going to love him,” Mullen exclaimed.
Suffice to say, Mullen was absolutely correct. In 32 games as a Texan, McKinney has registered 209 tackles and 8.0 sacks. He registered 129 tackles and 5.0 sacks as a second year player in 2016 and earned 2nd team All-Pro honors as voted on by the Associated Press.