When it comes to the NFL draft, everyone has their opinions on players, but the reality is that nobody knows who will effectively transition to playing on Sundays. The 2024 NFL draft class will be the final group of [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag]-produced players as the legendary Alabama Crimson Tide football head coach decided to retire from coaching and join the College GameDay crew at ESPN.
One of the most intriguing Alabama players in the upcoming draft is cornerback [autotag]Kool-Aid McKinstry[/autotag] who was a three-year key contributor for the defense. Teams avoided throwing in the direction of McKinstry for the most part in 2023 so his numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he is one of the best coverage corners in the college game.
Despite all of that, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report advises the Pittsburgh Steelers against using their first-round pick on McKinstry. Pairing McKinstry with Minkah Fitzpatrick would be a dream come true for Alabama and Steelers fans, but Ballentine would disagree. Ballentine’s argument to avoid McKinstry doesn’t really have anything to do with him, but rather addressing their offensive woes.
Ballentine said of the pick,
“The Pittsburgh Steelers may be tempted to pair the Alabama product with Joey Porter Jr. if he’s still on the board at No. 20. However, the Steelers were 10th in passer rating allowed last season with a combination of Porter, Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace manning the cornerback spots. Meanwhile, the offense was 28th in scoring and 23rd in EPA per play, in part because their offensive line wasn’t up to snuff.”
Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow former Alabama players as they prepare to make the transition to the NFL during the 2024 offseason.
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