Indeed. #Saints new CB Kool-Aid McKinstry and his defensive alignment the last few years:
2023: Perimeter – 769, Slot – 6
2022: Perimeter – 774, Slot – 16
2021: Perimeter – 438, Slot – 6Doesn't mean he couldn't make the transition, even if temporary, in the NFL. But yeah. https://t.co/bxteAVzmNe
— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) April 27, 2024
Here’s the biggest question for New Orleans Saints’ second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry is where will he play in 2024. For now, Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo are the starting corners on the outside with Alontae Taylor manning the slot. Where does McKinstry fit into that picture as a rookie?
When New Orleans traded up to select the Alabama cornerback, Lattimore was the next person who jumped to many peoples’ minds. Some disregarded Adebo as a threat to start, mostly national media, while some said this sealed Lattimore’s fate as a trade candidate this summer. For multiple reasons, including constant speculation of a Lattimore trade, the latter feels the most reasonable route to McKinstry starting as a rookie.
If Lattimore and Adebo are on this team, they are your starting corners. Does that mean Taylor is the odd man out? Despite the rookie’s lack of experience in the slot, Dennis Allen believes his instincts, physicality and intelligence would allow McKinstry to play inside. The problem is that this is a projection after McKinstry played outside exclusively at Alabama.
This is the same approach the team took with Taylor last season. Maybe McKinstry can transition more seamlessly to the slot and take that spot from Taylor. Right now, the Saints have four cornerbacks who are best suited for playing outside. One will be your slot corner. One will be left out out of the starting lineup, or possibly traded. Regardless, where does McKinstry fit is the biggest question around the selection right now. We’ll see what the Saints have planned for him over the summer.
