Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Takkarist McKinley was born on November 2, 1995 in Oakland, California. He is a defensive end in the NFL.

McKinley grew up in Oakland when he attended John F. Kennedy High School. He was a 2 sport athlete there while playing football and running track. He committed to play at UC Berkley.

While at UC Berkley, he was ruled a non-qualifier his freshman season. He went to play at Contra Costa College for that season instead of being on the bears. After the one season there, he transferred to UCLA. He played the next three seasons there, while staring his junior and senior year.

The Atlanta Falcons selected Takkarist McKinley in the first round (26th pick) in the 2017 NFL draft. He played with the team for 4 seasons before being waived in the 2020 season. The Raiders picked him up off of waivers, but he never made the active roster. The Cleveland Browns gave him a 1 year contract for the 2021 season.