Verone McKinley III

Verone McKinley III
Personal information
Born: (2000-06-29) June 29, 2000 (age 24)
Carrollton, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Hebron
(Carrollton, Texas)
College:Oregon (2018–2021)
Position:Safety
Undrafted:2022
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:16
Pass deflections:1
Interceptions:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Verone McKinley III (born June 29, 2000) is an American professional football safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Oregon.

Early life

McKinley attended Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas. He committed to the University of Oregon to play college football.[1][2]

College career

As a true freshman at Oregon in 2018, McKinley played in three games before taking a redshirt. As a redshirt freshman in 2019, he started 11 of 14 games, recording 46 tackles and four interceptions. In 2020, he started six of seven games and had 46 tackles and one interception. McKinley 2021 season at Oregon he earned first-team consensus All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors as a junior in 2021. He started all 14 games that seasons, recording 78 tackles (44 solo), six interceptions, 12 passes defensed and one forced fumble. In McKinley's collegiate career, he recorded 11 interceptions in 38 games. [3][4] McKinley was a three-year starter (2019–2021).[5] He was named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 10 in
(1.78 m) 		198 lb
(90 kg) 		30+5⁄8 in
(0.78 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.65 s 1.69 s 2.70 s 4.38 s 7.12 s 35.0 in
(0.89 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 16 reps
Sources:[7][8]

Miami Dolphins

McKinley signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2022.[9] He was waived by the Dolphins on August 30, 2022, and re-signed to the practice squad.[10][11] He was promoted to the active roster on November 12. On November 27, he recorded his first career interception in a 30–15 win over the Houston Texans.[12]

On September 16, 2023, McKinley was waived by the Dolphins and re-signed to the practice squad.[13] He was released on December 6.[14]

Arizona Cardinals

On January 3, 2024, McKinley was signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad.[15] He was waived on August 26.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Hebron Cornerback Verone McKinley III Commits to Oregon". The Dallas Morning News. December 13, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Nemec, Andrew (July 30, 2017). "Verone McKinley III, 4-star CB, commits to Oregon Ducks over Alabama, Clemson, LSU, others". OregonLive. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Thorburn, Ryan (April 10, 2021). "Oregon Ducks safety Verone McKinley is the 'general' of the secondary". The Register-Guard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Crepea, James (June 9, 2021). "Entering 3rd year as starting field safety, Verone McKinley III the unquestioned leader of Oregon Ducks secondary". OregonLive. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  5. ^ Fentress, Aaron (September 8, 2021). "Verone McKinley III, ignited by a mistake 2 seasons ago, is back on the big stage with Oregon Ducks this week". OregonLive. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  6. ^ Neel, Zachary (November 23, 2021). "Kayvon Thibodeaux and Verone McKinley III named finalists for major year-end awards". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  7. ^ "Verone McKinley III Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  8. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Verone McKinley III, Oregon NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  9. ^ "Roster Moves: Dolphins sign 14 undrafted college free agents". MiamiDolphins.com. May 13, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  10. ^ "Dolphins make roster moves". MiamiDolphins.com. August 30, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  11. ^ "Dolphins make roster moves". MiamiDolphins.com. September 1, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  12. ^ "Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins – November 27th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  13. ^ "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. September 16, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  14. ^ "Miami Dolphins Make Practice Squad Moves". Miami Dolphins. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Druin, Donnie. "Cardinals Make Roster Moves Ahead of Week 18". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  16. ^ Urban, Darren (August 26, 2024). "Cardinals Begin Roster Cuts By Releasing 6". AZCardinals.com.