New Orleans Saints Made The Smart Choice With Kool-Aid McKinstry In Second Round Of NFL Draft

The New Orleans Saints pulled a bit of a surprise in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday. They traded up from the 45th overall slot to the 41st, the ninth pick in the second round, while giving up a fifth and sixth round selection. That wasn't the surprising part.

With that 41st overall choice, the Saints selected Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry. The pick took some by surprise. New Orleans had more pressing needs and already has an outstanding trio of corners in Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and Alontae Taylor. However, a closer look reveals some strong logic behind the selection.

Here's an analysis of McKinstry and why the Saints made a wise decision in the second round.

A three-year starter at Alabama, McKinstry was arguably the best cover man in the SEC. He brings good size (6'0" & 199-Lbs.) along with a clear football IQ and added versatility as a punt returner.

McKinstry led the SEC in passes defensed (15) in 2022, leading to a 1st Team All-SEC selection. His 2023 campaign wasn't as statistically imposing. However, he consistently locked down receivers, forcing quarterbacks to throw away from him, and finished the year with 1st Team All-American honors.

Outstanding in man coverage, McKinstry was often able to be put on an island against the top receivers in the SEC. He has enough speed, agility, and fluid change-of-direction to stay with any wideout all over the field. A highly instinctive player, McKinstry is also extremely effective in zone or off-ball coverage.

McKinstry has potentially elite ability to read receivers and anticipate breaks. He has excellent closing or recovery speed for off-ball coverage or to break up crossing routes. His timing to break up throws at the catch point is exemplary. Aggressively looking to challenge every pass, McKinstry can also efficiently move into slot coverage.

McKinstry isn't as physical as you'd like in press coverage duties. Bigger, seasoned wideouts could overwhelm him in the intermediate zones until he refines his already strong technique. He can get too handsy at the top of routes, which could make him prone to penalties.

While McKinstry has good ball skills, he only had two career interceptions for the Crimson Tide, with those coming against lower-level schools Mercer and Austin Peay. This has led to some question about his ability to create turnovers for his defense.

McKinstry can also be overly aggressive and vulnerable to fakes or double-moves in key situations or near the goal line. While aggressive in coverage, the same cannot be said about his ability against the run. He was never a factor in run support or as an open field tackler throughout college.

Kool-Aid McKinstry was a first-round value that slipped to Day 2. He was a consensus top-5 talent at the position, with some ranking him as high as second in his draft class. The Saints recognized this, even trading up four spots to choose him. After the McKinstry selection, corners Kamari Lassiter (Georgia) and Max Melton (Rutgers) came off the board in the next two picks.

Many New Orleans fans initially believed that this choice signaled that the team would trade Marshon Lattimore, the subject of much speculation this offseason. No, this is absolutely not the case. Moving Lattimore now would not help this team in the 2024 season and would still cost the Saints a fortune in dead cap space.

It is worth noting that Lattimore's cap hit escalates to over double the size during the 2025 season. Also noteworthy is that Paulson Adebo is in a contract year and will be a free agent after the season. It's hard to imagine the Saints being able to keep both players.

Drafting Kool-Aid McKinstry was with an eye to the 2025 season and beyond. However, don't think that this was a pick made only for the future. McKinstry's coverage ability gives even more flexibility to an already strong New Orleans secondary. Additionally, McKinstry is able to play the slot, an area where this defense struggled at times last season.

Expect McKinstry to play a big role for the Saints defense in 2024. Either as the primary slot corner, or on the outside allowing Lattimore, Adebo, or Alontae Taylor some scheme flexibility. While an unexpected draft choice, McKinstry makes a ton of sense for New Orleans, both immediately and for the future.