The 2024 NFL scouting combine has wrapped up. Plenty of players across the country interviewed and performed in front of NFL personnel in Indianapolis to help bolster their draft stock and make their NFL dreams come true. One of those players was Alabama star cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.
McKinstry was a shutdown corner in Tuscaloosa and will join a long-list of stars from that program and that position to make the jump. He will have a long list of suitors. However, teams like the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals stand out as franchises McKinstry can help right away.
McKinstry was one of the best cornerbacks in the country over the last couple of seasons alongside fellow potential first-rounder Terrion Arnold. McKinstry recorded 22 pass deflections in that span.
He was only able to muster one interception, but that’s partly because teams just didn’t throw in his direction. McKinstry only allowed two receptions of over 20+ yards in 2023, via PFF Data It’s a large reason why he is graded as as a top cornerback heading into this draft.
The Lions made a run to the NFC Championship Game in 2023, but it didn’t come with a few bumps along the way. Those bumps really came from their secondary defending the pass. It was an issue that plagued the Lions all season long, but really surfaced in a big way in the playoffs.
In the Wild Card Round, Los Angeles Rams rookie receiver Puka Nacua lit them up to the tune of 181 yards and a touchdown while hauling in nine of ten targets thrown his way.
