You never want to see a player like Marshon Lattimore sidelined by injury. He’s arguably the best talent on the team, and the New Orleans Saints know it. But if there is a silver lining to his absence with a hip flexor injury, it’s that rookie second-round draft pick Kool-Aid McKinstry has a great opportunity to learn on the job as Lattimore’s immediate replacement.
McKinstry missed the Saints’ offseason program while recovering from foot surgery; medical checkups at the NFL Scouting Combine diagnosed him with a Jones fracture, which may have played a part in his fall in the draft. So just how valuable is this opportunity for McKinstry? Just ask Saints head coach Dennis Allen.
“Well, extremely valuable, you know. He’s a rookie that missed all of spring,” Allen said after practice on Saturday. “So he’s a thousand reps behind. So every rep that he can get is a learning experience for him. Good news for him, is that he’s smart. He comes from a system that did a lot, in college. Fundamentally and technique, he’s sound. And yet there’s differences in terms of how we do things compared to what he did in college, and so he has to get up to speed on those things. But he’ll be a quick study. And, look, he’s just got to get out here and get the reps.”
Allen isn’t the only one who feels that way. McKinstry’s old coach Nick Saban said the same of him at this year’s NFL draft, calling McKinstry one of the most intelligent and pro-ready defensive backs in the entire rookie class. Whether Lattimore is out of action for just one week or six weeks, McKinstry should have every opportunity to adapt to the pro game and compete for reps come Week 1.
How things may shape up is anyone’s guess. Alontae Taylor has been competing with McKinstry to start in the slot, with Lattimore and Paulson Adebo entrenched out wide. If Lattimore returns to health in time for the season opener, as is likely, McKinstry would go back to battling with Taylor at a position he hasn’t played often. Either way, whenever the Saints call his number and put him in the lineup, valuable snaps at practice like these will ensure he’s ready for it.
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