Some NFL players have to wait to find their ultimate roles. For those types of players, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish” becomes the guiding philosophy. It has certainly been the case this season for Kansas City Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon. Selected in the third round of the 2014 draft by the Minnesota Vikings out of Georgia Southern, McKinnon had bit roles in Minnesota’s offense over four seasons.
In 2018, McKinnon signed a four-year, $30 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers, but he suffered a torn ACL in a team workout on September 1, and missed the entire season. Setbacks in his recovery also cost McKinnon the 2019 season, and he was a forgotten man for a while. He did come back for the 2020 season, thriving in Kyle Shanahan’s offense to a degree with 319 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 81 carries, adding 253 receiving yards and a touchdown on 33 carries.
