Saints head coach Dennis Allen and defensive coordinator Joe Woods must be pinching themselves to get McKinstry in the second round. The Alabama alum is a scheme-transcendent pass defender who is a natural in press and man/match concepts. This allows Allen and Woods to do a lot of interesting stuff with the three-CB group of McKinstry, Paulson Adebo, and Marshon Lattimore.
A five-star recruit from Pinson Valley High School in Birmingham, Alabama, Ga’Quincy “Kool-Aid” McKinstry chose the Crimson Tide over Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Auburn, and LSU. A high school basketball star who practiced some with the team in college, McKinstry finally gave his full time to football in 2022, but he had already made his mark as a rotational cornerback by then.
Last season, as Terrion Arnold’s bookend, McKinstry allowed 19 catches on 39 targets for 205 yards, 83 yards after the catch, one touchdowns, no interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 73.1. He played through some of his final season with a Jones fracture in his right foot, though all indications are that he’ll be ready for his first NFL training camp.
PLUSES
— McKinstry is about as concept-transcendent as any cornerback in this class; equally adept at press and off coverage at a time when a lot of college cornerbacks are short in press reps.
— Ideally though, he’s a press cornerback who’s at his best when he’s right up on the receiver, matching through the route. He’s got all the technique for that.
— Excellent when playing bail up the boundary; he’ll make the receiver go where he wants the receiver to go with inside/outside positioning.
— Lateral agility allows him to match foot for foot with receivers off the snap; that’s not where you’re going to lose him.
— Has some juice as a blitzer off the edge.
MINUSES
— Could be a bit quicker to match up on coverage switches and crossers. Recovery speed is nice, but he needs it a bit too often.
— Tackling against the run game is a real adventure.
— Has the size and athleticism to win on 50/50 balls, but his timing to go for the ball needs to improve.
— Can get a bit delayed in zone concepts; he’s at his best when everything is in front of him and he controls the action.
— Low interception total is more about his hands than anything else; McKinstry could do with a few JUGS drills, and this applies to his potential as a return man as well.
If you’re in the market for a good-sized, aggressive cornerback who can win consistently in single-high match and man concepts, McKinstry could be your ideal flavor. Those teams playing more zone stuff might hesitate, though McKinstry certainly has the athletic traits to play just about anything.
Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
PLUSES
— McKinstry is about as concept-transcendent as any cornerback in this class; equally adept at press and off coverage at a time when a lot of college cornerbacks are short on press reps.
— Ideally though, he's a press cornerback who's… pic.twitter.com/RxHbDfUQGj
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 6, 2024