When the New Orleans Saints were on the clock with the No. 42 overall selection in the draft after trading up, there were a lot of positions that people expected to be call. Cornerback was not one of them. Much to the surprise of many, that’s where they went with Alabama defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Since it wasn’t really a position of need, what exactly are the expectations for McKinstry as a rookie? Well that really depends on what happens with the current roster of cornerbacks that New Orleans has at their disposal. Marshon Lattimore is constantly in the trade rumor mills, Paulson Adebo is in a contract year and Alontae Taylor has been very promising yet very inconsistent. Could Lattimore be on the way out? Is this almost confirming that Adebo will be gone after this season? Is Taylor headed to the bench? No on knows.
Assuming that this is their cornerback roster heading into the season, the expectations for McKinstry shouldn’t be too high. He’s a pro-ready corner, but isn’t ready enough to win the job from one of those guys from Day 1. As a rookie — barring an injury to someone else — you should expect to see the Crimson Tide product in a rotational role while he contributes on special teams in a multitude of ways. He’s a great contingency plan for this season and gives them an immediate answer if one of the other players were to leave after this season.
