Falcons rookie defensive end Takkarist made a dazzling debut in his first live action of training camp on Tuesday.
On a third-down in 11-on-11 scrimmage, he zoomed past starting left tackle Jake Matthews and sacked quarterback Matt Ryan. Well, he tagged him down, since they don’t tackle to the ground anymore in NFL practices.
But that’s a practice sack and the Falcons are hoping their first-round pick, who has recovered from offseason shoulder surgery, has plenty of real sacks in his 6-foot, 2-inch and 250-pound frame.
“It feels great,” McKinley said after the morning practice. “I’m back to football, back to what I love doing.”
McKinley was selected 26th overall in the 2017 draft. He had surgery to repair a torn labrum and glenoid socket in his right shoulder on March 6.
He was cleared before training camp, but Falcons coach Dan Quinn wanted to ease him back into practice by letting McKinley participate in individual drills.
“It was our first chance getting some reps for Takk Mckinley,” Quinn said. “He was on the plan that (Adrian) Clayborn did last week. He did the individual and then some team. He worked some team today.”
McKinley won over the fans with a passionate speech on draft night about how he wanted to honor his grand mother who helped to raise him. He was so emotional that he let loose with a few expletives.
McKinley was much more composed after his first practice, i in which he was able to showcase his skills in team and one-on-one drills.
“Just being back on the field,” Quinn said. “For him, it was good to be back with the guys, his teammates and getting in the huddle and playing. He hasn’t done that for awhile.”
After practice, McKinley had a long session with defensive line coach Bryant Young.
“We are just getting started with him,” Quinn said. “We are anxious to put the work in over the next month.”
While out and not allowed to attend OTAs or minicamp because of the NFL academic rules for schools on the quarter system, McKinley picked up the defensive scheme during his Facetime sessions with Young.
“Between him and Bryant Young, they did a good job together,” Quinn said. “They had to put the work in. That was his way to show I’m committed and I’m in….. although there was some frustration about (not) playing , (he) could still do (his) part from a scheme standpoint…I have to commend him for putting in the work over the summer to get ready.”
McKinley admitted that he had some butterflies in his stomach.
“I was nervous,” McKinley said. “It was my first time in pads since November. To be able to go out there and play football again, felt real good.”
It wasn’t a perfect first practice.
“The biggest thing is to play fast,” McKinley said. “I know coming out as a rookie that I’ll make a few mistakes, but as long as I’m playing fast and hustling to the ball, I’ll be good.”
McKinley impressed his teammates.
“He looked good,” linebacker Kemal Ishmael said. “He went out there and did a good job. He went out there and played well.”
McKinley felt well about how he performed.
"Those were my first one-on-ones," McKinley said. "I was just trying to go with a bull rush and try to show of my strength and stuff like that. To be honest that might be my only rush so far just to kind of help the shoulder feel better."
McKinley's knows there will be some adjustments to the NFL game.
“The tackles are bigger, stronger and more athletic,” McKinley said. “They are faster. The game is faster. The quarterbacks …you might have a freshman quarterback who takes his time at the line (in college), but in practice you are going against Matt Ryan and it’s quick. In the NFL you’ve got Cam (Newton) and (Tom) Brady and whoever else. The games will go by much faster. It’s all about knowing your plays, getting lined up and going.”
He said the shoulder felt fine.
“I put in so much effort since I had surgery on March 6 over the past summer and spring to be where I’m at right now,” McKinley said. “My goal was to get one percent better each day. There were no days off, Mondays through Fridays and on Saturdays, I’d come in for treatment, just trying to get right.
“I’ve got the green light, so I’m going out there…whenever they put me out there, I’m just going as hard as I can.”
McKinley played the past two seasons at UCLA with the injured shoulder.
“So, now that it’ fit I feel like I can just throw it all over the place,” McKinley said. “Before it wasn’t fit, I was being real careful and real hesitate. Now, that it’s fit, that’s the doctor’s job to worry about my shoulder. My job is to go out here and go as hard as I can.”
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