Jerick McKinnon entered December with not only a spot near the front of the NFL's rookie rushing ranks, but also a painful lower back injury.
Unexpectedly thrust into a starting role with Adrian Peterson banished from the Vikings, McKinnon surprised with 538 rushing yards through 11 games, two of which he played with the nagging injury. But in early December, the Vikings decided to shut him down for the rest of the 2014 season.
"It got to the point where it was just too bad, I guess," McKinnon said.
In the season's final month, McKinnon watched Cincinnati's Jeremy Hill speed away to double him up in rushing yards, and a few other rookie runners passed by McKinnon, as well. McKinnon, who occasionally checked in on his peers more due to boredom than curiosity, finished eighth among rookies.
Looking back, he admits that the injury, which required surgery, was "really devastating" at first. He had performed well enough to climb the depth chart, then suddenly found himself standing on the sideline down the stretch instead of in the backfield next to rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Now, as he is close to completing his post-surgery rehab program, McKinnon looks back on his rookie season much more favorably.
"I was happy with how the season went. It was a blessing, just being able to play in the NFL, a dream come true," he said. "I took it for what it was. I'm happy but I'm not content."
While many of his teammates headed home after the season or to exotic locales much warmer than Minnesota, the Georgia native has stayed in the Twin Cities so he can rehab his injury at Winter Park with the team's athletic training staff. He has only a couple more weeks left before the process is completed.
