NFL: Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons unofficially cast former first-round draft pick Takk McKinley as a disappointment when they declined the fifth-year option on his rookie contract this offseason. McKinley hasn't taken offense to the decision, however. In fact, as the edge rusher told reporters Saturday, he used it as motivation -- to shed weight, add speed and, most of all, use the 2020 season as proof that he belongs, not only in Atlanta but in the NFL.

"It was a wake-up call," McKinley said, as the team's website reported. "It was more motivation, it made me hungry. I'm not saying I wasn't hungry in the past, but I've just got to go prove it."

Down to 248 pounds after playing the 2019 season at about 270, McKinley "showed up to camp noticeably leaner and well-defined than in years past," according to the Falcons' Will McFadden, and has instituted a new diet and workout plan in an effort to enter this season in the best shape of his career. It's a smart plan considering the circumstances; by declining McKinley's option, the Falcons essentially forfeited the right to retain the former 26th overall pick for 2021, setting McKinley up for free agency after this year.

"I'm going into my fourth season, (but) I feel like yesterday I just got drafted," the pass rusher said. "Sometimes, being a pro, you kind of forget like, 'Damn, OK.' You feel like you've got time, but once I realized they declined my fifth-year option, it's like, 'Man, if I want to be in this league, I've got to do something better.'"

A UCLA standout before his selection in the 2017 draft, McKinley appeared on the verge of a breakout prior to his last season. He logged six sacks as a rookie, appearing in all 16 games, before upping the total to seven the following year. In 2019, however, he managed just 3.5 sacks in 14 games, prompting Atlanta to spend big on pass rushing help -- McKinley's new teammate, Dante Fowler Jr. -- this offseason.