The Extra Point: Why Giants Safety Xavier McKinney Has Beef With Cowboys

Former Alabama standout ended up with the right team when it comes to not liking Dallas, but the reason why may surprise you.

Former University of Alabama safety Xavier McKinney has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to CeeDee Lamb, and it's not because the wide receiver played at Oklahoma. 

It's because the Dallas Cowboys took Lamb in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft instead of McKinney.

“For me, I take it personal every time I play the Cowboys for the rest of my career,” McKinney said during an appearance on the “All Things Covered” podcast. “That’s just how I feel about that situation.”

Per Cowboys Maven, McKinney had been talking to the Cowboys and thought he would be the pick at No. 17, when Lamb slid in the draft. 

Dallas felt he was too good to pass up, and McKinney slid to the fourth pick of the second round, No. 36. The difference was Lamb signed a four-year deal for $14 million, and McKinney's was for $8.4 million. 

“I think everything came full circle for me,” McKinney said. “That was the team that was supposed to come get me. The team talked to me a lot, and they liked me when I was interviewing and all that stuff. …”

McKinney gets to face Lamb and the Cowboys twice a year with the New York Giants. A broken foot suffered in training camp cost him the first half of his rookie season, but he came back and turned some heads. 

He notched 25 tackles over six games, including four starts, with one interception and another that was wiped out by a penalty.

Giants Country wrote about McKinney heading into training camp: "Don't get caught up in who starts for the Giants, especially in the defensive backfield, as that will change every week based on the opponent.

"With that said, don't be surprised if McKinney sees close to 60 percent of the defensive snaps playing in a variety of different roles and sub-packages for a defense that projects to be even more multiple this coming season than it was last year."

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