Kool-Aid McKinstry

Saints traded up with the Packers to select Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Saints moved into the 41st spot and sent picks 45, 168, and 190 back to the Packers to land McKinstry (5'11/196). McKinstry excelled as a two-way CB/WR and state-champion basketball player who scored over 1,000 points in his high school career. McKinstry pulled off the rare Alabama feat of starting six games as a true freshman (479 snaps) but proved the decision to be warranted by being named to the Freshman All-SEC Team. The five-star prodigy fulfilled his potential in 2022, leading the SEC with 16 PBU while earning First Team All-SEC and Second Team All-American honors. PFF graded him above the 75th percentile in every relevant phase of the game, with Kool-Aid allowing a scorching 2.6 yards per target and a 36% completion rate. Arguably the 2024 NFL Draft CB1 heading into this season, McKinstry allowed 37 receptions on 80 targets in 2022. He managed to cut that number in half to 19 catches allowed on 39 targets while ranking fifth nationally with .35 receiving yards allowed per coverage snap. A right foot ailment shelved him for the Combine, but he ran a strong 4.47s 40-yard dash (78th%) at his pro day, though a pair of uninspiring jumping tests and no agility testing means we have an incomplete athletic profile to work with from a testing perspective. Is more instinctive in zone diagnosing route concepts as opposed to being a pugnacious in-your-face man corner. McKinstry profiles as a solid all-around player who doesn’t possess supersonic long speed but has a firm grasp of the nuances of the position and also can return kicks.