Oregon Ducks Football Safety Verone McKinley III Signs With Miami Dolphins as Undrafted Free Agent

May 1, 2022 Admin

There’s a whole lot of Oregon pride residing in the Miami Dolphins’ safety room.

Verone McKinley III has signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent, as first reported by ESPN’s Jordan Schultz and confirmed by his agency SportsTrust.

McKinley reunites with fellow Oregon alum Jevon Holland, who was the first safety drafted in last year’s draft by the Dolphins. McKinley played behind Holland for his first two seasons before breaking out in 2021.

Dolphins S Jevon Holland

He arrived in Eugene as a 4-star cornerback from Hebron High School in Carrolton, Tex. back in 2018. He utilized a redshirt in his true freshman year before making a big impact in 2019. McKinley led the Pac-12 in interceptions with four as a redshirt freshman, becoming the third freshman to lead the conference in interceptions in the last 41 years. He appeared in all 14 games (starting 11), and made 46 tackles on the year.

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Verone McKinley III vs. Ohio State

verone-mckinley-ohio-state — © Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch via Imagn Content Services, LLC

McKinley continued to develop in 2020 with Holland off to the NFL, starting six of seven games for the Ducks. He ranked third on the team with 41 total tackles and registered an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery as well.

The 2021 season was the best for the 5-foot-11 safety, becoming one of 10 players in Oregon football history to be named a consensus All-American. He tied for the FBS lead with six interceptions, and he finished second on the team with 78 total tackles. His stellar year led to him also being named one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the best defensive back in college football.

McKinley is one of several former Oregon Ducks to find a home after the 2022 draft, including Anthony Brown (Ravens), Devon Williams (Ravens), and CJ Verdell (Colts). Kayvon Thibodeaux was the only Duck to be selected in the draft,