Cassanova McKinzy (born November 17, 1992) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Auburn, and was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

Cassanova McKinzy
Personal information
Born: (1992-11-17) November 17, 1992 (age 32)
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:252 lb (114 kg)
Career information
High school:Woodlawn (Birmingham, Alabama)
College:Auburn (2012–2015)
Position:Linebacker
Undrafted:2016
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:2
Sacks:1.0
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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McKinzy is the son of Joann Brown and Charles Drake. He attended Woodlawn High School, where he played high school football for the Colonels.[1]

College career

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A 4-star recruit, McKinzy committed to Auburn to play under head coach Gus Malzahn, over offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Arkansas State, Clemson, Florida State, Kansas, and UAB.[2] He stated that a reason for rejecting Clemson was because there is no nearby Chick-fil-A. (McKinzy was mistaken; there is one on campus.)[3] He played three seasons from 2012 to 2015.[4][5]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)
248 lb
(112 kg)
31+14 in
(0.79 m)
9+78 in
(0.25 m)
4.83 s 1.65 s 2.72 s 4.37 s 7.50 s 9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)
21 reps
[6][7]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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McKinzy was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent following the 2016 NFL draft.[8] On August 22, 2016, he was released by the team.[9]

Los Angeles Rams

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On January 3, 2017, McKinzy signed a reserve/future contract with the Los Angeles Rams.[10] He was waived on September 2, 2017, and was signed to the Rams' practice squad the next day.[11][12] He was released by the team on September 19, 2017.

Washington Redskins

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On January 1, 2018, McKinzy signed a reserve/future contract with the Washington Redskins.[13] He was released on April 30, 2018, but re-signed on August 6.[14][15]

On September 1, 2018, McKinzy was waived for final roster cuts before the start of the 2018 season but signed to the team's practice squad the next day.[16][17] He was promoted to the active roster on October 29, 2018, but was waived the next day and re-signed to the practice squad.[18][19][20] He was promoted back to the active roster on November 9, 2018.[21] He suffered a torn pectoral in Week 12 and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[22]

On October 7, 2019, McKinzy was released by the Redskins and re-signed to the practice squad.[23] His practice squad contract with the team expired on January 6, 2020.[24]

Calgary Stampeders

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McKinzy signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL on June 16, 2021.[25]

Vegas Vipers

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McKinzy was drafted by the Vegas Vipers during the 2023 XFL draft.

References

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  1. ^ Crepea, James. "Who will bring pass rush for Auburn? New face joins mix". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  2. ^ "Cassanova McKinzy College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  3. ^ Watson, Graham (February 1, 2012). "Cassanova McKinzy spurned Clemson because he missed the Chick-fil-A". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  4. ^ "Cassanova McKinzy Biography". Auburn Tigers Athletics. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  5. ^ "Cassanova McKinzy, 2012 Outside Linebacker - Rivals.com". N.rivals.com. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  6. ^ "Cassanova McKinzy Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "2016 NFL Draft Scout Cassanova McKinzy College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  8. ^ Smith, Scott (May 2, 2016). "Buccaneers Land 19 Rookie Free Agents". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  9. ^ Stevens, Matthew (August 22, 2016). "Cassanova McKinzy released by Tampa Bay Buccaneers". MontgomeryAdvertiser.com. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  10. ^ Inabinett, Mark (January 4, 2017). "Cassanova McKinzy signs NFL reserve/future contract". AL.com. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  11. ^ Han, Jamie (September 2, 2017). "Rams Announce Roster Moves". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018.
  12. ^ Simmons, Myles (September 3, 2017). "Rams Waive Three, Announce Practice Squad". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017.
  13. ^ "Redskins Sign 11 Players To Reserve/Future Contracts". Redskins.com. January 1, 2018. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018.
  14. ^ Williams, Charean (April 30, 2018). "Washington cuts six players, including A.J. Francis, Montori Hughes". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "8/6: Redskins Make Roster Moves". Redskins.com. August 6, 2018. Archived from the original on August 6, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  16. ^ "9/1: Redskins Make Roster Moves". Redskins.com. September 1, 2018. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  17. ^ "Kapri Bibbs Among Eight Added To Practice Squad". Redskins.com. September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  18. ^ "Redskins Place Troy Apke On Injured Reserve". Redskins.com. October 29, 2018.
  19. ^ Kring-Schreifels, Jake (October 30, 2018). "Redskins Acquire Ha Ha Clinton-Dix From Packers". Redskins.com.
  20. ^ "10/31: Redskins Make Roster Move". Redskins.com. October 31, 2018. Archived from the original on November 4, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  21. ^ "Redskins Sign Cassanova McKinzy To Active Roster, Waive Casey Dunn". Redskins.com. November 9, 2018.
  22. ^ Gantt, Darin (November 23, 2018). "Washington's Cassanova McKinzy suffers torn pectoral". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  23. ^ Williams, Charean (October 7, 2019). "Washington claims Hale Hentges, cuts Cassanova McKinzy". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  24. ^ @HBalzer721 (January 7, 2020). "Redskins practice-squad contracts expired Monday: WR Jehu Chesson; RB Derrick Gore; LBs Cassanova McKinzy, Pete Robertson; TE Keith Trowbridge; DT JoJo Wicker" (Tweet). Retrieved January 9, 2020 – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "Cassanova McKinzy added to roster". Stampeders.com. June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
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