Expert Analysis
4/26/24
4 min read
Kool-Aid McKinstry 2024 NFL Draft: Combine Results, Scouting Report For New Orleans Saints CB
The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Kool-Aid McKinstry.
Kool-Aid McKinstry's 2024 NFL Combine Results
- Height: 5'11 ½"
- Weight: 199 pounds
- 40-yard dash: 4.47 seconds (at his Pro Day)
- 10-yard split: Did Not Participate (DNP)
- Vertical jump: DNP
- Broad jump: DNP
Kool-Aid McKinstry 2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Strengths
- Good-sized outside corner with length and smooth loose hips and easy fluid transition and change of direction.
- Has desirable combination of length and short-area quickness and long speed and has higher-level traits for an outside corner.
- Played mirror-match-press-man coverage at high level. Patient and controlled matching releases and routes.
- Has accelerating speed to run with vertical routes in mirror-match-press-man coverage. Opens and flips hips.
- Athleticism and loose hips let him stop-start and re-accelerate. Rarely looks hurried and is controlled in his movement.
- Shows explosive plant and drive-in off coverage. Reads receiver routes and closes with quickness and burst.
- Excellent recognition of routes and communication skills in zone coverage. Understands zone responsibilities.
- In 2023, shows balance and body control to stop with few steps. Has quick feet with excellent change of direction.
- Has zone coverage snaps where he showed refined awareness of routes — plays with excellent eye discipline.
Weaknesses
- Had some reps in mirror-match-press-man coverage where he was too reactive to receiver’s release, giving up too much space.
- Has some press-man snaps where he needed his left arm (inside arm) to maintain balance vs. receiver’s release.
- There were snaps (not many) vs. vertical routes where he lost contact with the receiver downfield.
- There will be questions regarding his speed to run with vertical routes from press-man alignment. Can he stay connected?
- Must learn to do a better job locating and playing the ball on vertical routes. Needs to increase ball production.
- Needs to develop a better feel on vertical routes and on when to get his head around and look for the ball. Indecisive.
- There were reps where he took too many steps to stop and react when receivers broke off their vertical stems.
- Had some off-coverage snaps where his transition and hip-turn was a little sticky and segmented, and he was beaten.
NFL Transition
McKinstry is one of the better corner prospects in the 2024 draft class based on his 2022 and 2023 tape — although there are some concerns about his transition to the next level.
He has extensive experience playing mirror-match-press-man coverage and off-coverage man and zone — few corners can play mirror-match-press with McKinstry's poise and composure. He consistently shows the ability to stay in-phase and attached to the receiver through intermediate and vertical routes. Press man coverage is the strength of McKinstry’s game, and it is evident from studying his tape that he's a true cover corner who is very comfortable matching up on the outside.
Based on his tape, where McKinstry is not at his best and where he clearly needs work to be scheme-versatile in the NFL is in off-coverage. There were snaps where he got stuck reacting to wide receivers' breaks and vertical routes, showing some stickiness and segmentation in his transition and hip turn. He doesn't possess the kind of pure speed to compensate and recover when the receiver gets on top of him.
Overall, McKinstry is a solid corner prospect who would fit best at the next level on a team that features man coverage as its foundation with press a significant part of its tactics. That would play to McKinstry’s strengths as a corner both physically and mentally.
Other Notes
McKinstry came out of Birmingham as a consensus 5-star recruit — he was the No. 1 cornerback prospect in the nation and a top-25 player regardless of position, He started three games to end his freshman season and became a full-time starter in 2022, earning All-American honors in both that season and in 2023.
In 2022, McKinstry was the right corner in Alabama’s defense, so he has extensive experience playing to the field and the boundary. McKinstry had some excellent matchup reps vs. LSU WR Malik Nabers. In 2023, McKinstry was again the right corner in Alabama’s defense, which gave him extensive experience playing to both the boundary and the field.
