Mississippi State linebacker Benardrick McKinney will play on the biggest stage of his college career Saturday at Alabama, a game with both national and conference championship implications. In McKinney, fans will get to see one of the nation's elite defenders take on a high-powered Crimson Tide offense averaging 487 yards per game.
But here's what one NFL personnel executive will see: "Rolando McClain or a poor man's Brian Urlacher."
That's how an AFC college scouting director described McKinney to NFL Media's Albert Breer. McKinney (6-5, 250 pounds) is roughly the same size as McClain, the former Alabama star who has revitalized his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys. McKinney leads MSU with 55 tackles and three fumble recoveries, and Saturday will be a crucial game for his NFL draft evaluation if he elects to declare draft eligibility after the season.
"He runs their defense, and he's got the task of stopping the run game and being effective shadowing the QB, making sure he stays in the pocket," the AFC director told Breer. "This is a huge game for him."
McKinney, a junior, has indicated that this season could be his last at the college level.
The Bulldogs (9-0) are at the top of the College Football Playoff rankings, but could be knocked from both playoff contention and SEC title contention if they don't snap a six-game losing streak against the Crimson Tide.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter *@ChaseGoodbread*.