/ STAFF WRITER
SAN BERNARDINO – When Takkarist McKinley joined the UCLA football team last year in mid-September, the junior college transfer faced an obvious challenge beyond an already late arrival.
McKinley weighed 225 pounds, the size of most Pac-12 linebackers, not its top defensive ends.
“At first, I was getting thrown around like a little ’ol rag doll,” the junior defensive end said 11 months later, following a recent training camp practice.
Despite the glaring difference in size, McKinley carved out a valuable role last season as a pass-rush specialist, using his burst of speed and quick first step to edge past the bigger tackles.