Where Experts Ranked New Orleans Saints Second-Round NFL Draft Selection Kool-Aid McKinstry

The New Orleans Saints leapt up three draft picks to select Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry and pre-draft rankings show they got tremendous value.

Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry (1) celebrates a big play against the Georgia Bulldogs / Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Investing early draft capital in defensive backs is absolutely in line with the New Orleans Saints typical tendencies. Since 2016, New Orleans has added talent to the secondary like Vonn Bell, Marcus Williams, Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor in Day 2 of the NFL Draft. Alabama corner Kool-Aid McKinstry has become the newest name to add to the list.

After trading up for the Crimson Tide lockdown corner, many were confused. The Saints have Adebo and Taylor still on the roster and in starting roles. And while there have been swirling trade rumors around his name, star cornerback Marshon Lattimore does not look to be on the move. At least at the moment.

But as head coach Dennis Allen said after Day 2: "You can never have enough good corners in this league." To explore whether or not the Saints got their value with this trade up and selection, here are McKinstry's rankings from numerous NFL Draft experts.

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Dane Brugler, The Athletic - No. 30 overall prospect | Cornerback No. 5

Mel Kiper, ESPN - No. 35 overall prospect | Cornerback No. 5

Daniel Jeremiah, NFL - No. 28 overall prospect | Cornerback No. 4

Bucky Brooks, NFL - Cornerback No. 4

Nate Tice, Yahoo! Sports - No. 32 overall prospect | Cornerback No. 5

Pro Football Focus - No. 26 overall prospect | Cornerback No. 5

Thor Nystrom, Fantasy Pros - No. 30 overall prospect | Cornerback No. 5

The Draft Network - No 24 overall prospect | Cornerback No. 3

Danny Kelly, The Ringer - No. 26 overall prospect | Cornerback No. 4

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With the Saints trading up from No. 45 to No. 41, they got excellent value for McKinstry, even with the assets they used to trade up considered. The average of the overall rankings listed above suggest that he was a top-30 player in this year's draft. As the No. 4 or No. 5 corner on average, the Saints aligned by making him the fifth cornerback off the board. Great value for New Orleans, the biggest question will be all about whether or not he will have an immediate impact. But it seems his long-term impact is going to be sizable nonetheless.