Xavier McKinney is always prepared.

Prepared to play multiple spots in Alabama’s secondary during his career. Prepared for what to expect at the NFL Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis. Prepared for the next level.

The Crimson Tide safety walks into Lucas Oil Stadium as one of the top players at his position ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, and his time and effort in Tuscaloosa have led him to this point.

“They’ve prepared me in a lot of different ways,” McKinney said Friday. “I think with all these meetings and all this different stuff, we’re out pretty much all night. That’s something that we did at Bama, so I’m pretty used to it. I’ve talked to a lot of different faces that have come through Bama, so I think it’s prepared me for this moment. Just being in the lights, in the limelight all the time at Alabama has prepared me for this moment.”

Believed to have received a first-round grade before declaring for the draft, McKinney led UA with 95 tackles this past year. He recorded 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries, five pass breakups, three interceptions, four forced fumbles and one blocked kick. He returned one of his two interceptions against Western Carolina for a touchdown.

McKinney did a little of everything in his final season with the Crimson Tide. The junior safety led the SEC with four forced fumbles and ranked sixth in tackles with his team-leading 95. But filling multiple roles isn’t easy. At the Combine, McKinney outlined how he did it.

“It’s a lot more studying than the average, I guess, person would have to do for one position,” McKinney said. “It can be difficult trying to learn more than one check at more than one position and know what you have to do. During the week, I try to make sure after every practice that I go upstairs and watch film. I try to make sure that I get the game plan. I try to make sure that I know what I’m doing and make sure that I do my job.

“So, every day before practice starts, I’ll go upstairs and I’ll watch film, and then we’ll practice and then after practice, I’ll go upstairs and watch film again. And I’ll watch film on the other team to see how maybe I can do something or how something can be done.”

Alabama safety Xavier McKinney

McKinney said he enjoys breaking down his game and looking at what opponents are doing in order to try to put him in a better position. But he doesn’t try to emulate any other player.

“I base my game off of myself,” McKinney said. “I watch a lot of my film. I don’t watch a lot of other people, so I don’t really get any tips from anybody else.”

This week in Indianapolis, the Roswell, Ga., native will try to show NFL teams his abilities. One of those is an attribute of McKinney’s that he believes doesn’t get mentioned as much.

“I think my coverage ability,” McKinney said. “I think that’s kind of -- not talked down about, but it’s not talked about enough. If you ask anybody that I’ve played against or even my teammates, they’ll say that I can cover and I can do it very well. Myself, I think I’m a technician, so I think that’s something that’s not really talked about that I can really do well.”

Whether in coverage, blitzing from his safety position or being a leader on the defensive side of the football, McKinney is prepared to impact the game in any and every way that he can. That willingness and versatility are why he could be the first safety drafted in late April.

“I think McKinney is the best safety in the draft,” NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “I think you’re going to like him closer to the line of scrimmage. He can play high, but he’s better when he can drop down and play in the box. And he’s also a great communicator.

“I had some scouting influences on me when I started that had come from New England, and Coach (Bill) Belichick would always preach to those guys, ‘You cannot win with a dumb safety.’ You’ve got to have an intelligent and good communicative safety, and I think that’s what McKinney is to the point where they had so many linebacker injuries at Alabama they kind of played him down there in that nickel backer role and let him call the fronts and communicate.

“That is a skill that he has there, and I think he’s one of the safest players in the draft.”

*** Steve Helwagen of 247Sports contributed to this report.

Contact Charlie Potter by personal message or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).