By Ross Jackson
There are a handful of young New Orleans Saints players that could see true breakout seasons in 2025. With new coaches, schemes and teammates also come new opportunities. One of the players that possesses each of the elements necessary to take a major step forward in 2025 is cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.
The second-year corner improved each time he saw the field in 2024, including starting each of the final eight games of the season. Now, going into this season, he could be the team’s breakout star on defense.
For breakout potential, three factors are very important: talent, opportunity and momentum. McKinstry checks every box.
Talent
There’s no doubt that the 2024 second-round pick is a talented cornerback. He’s technically and fundamentally sound, athletic and disruptive at the catch point. He spent his collegiate years working with Nick Saban as a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide and arrived in New Orleans just in time for a defensive scheme change that should feel awfully familiar.
He finished his collegiate career with stellar numbers and was widely considered the best cornerback in the draft, only dropping to the second round because of an injury that limited his offseason draft process. As a member of the Crimson Tide defense, McKinstry allowed only 47.9% of his closest targets to be caught and forced an opposing passer rating of 66.0, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
PFF also charted the corner allowing just 3.81 yards after catch throughout his Alabama career, proving that he can make plays at the catch point, one of his more appealing qualities. He continued that even at the NFL’s speed of play allowing just 4.18 per receptions in 2024, 3.4 over his final three games.
Momentum
McKinstry finished the season as one of the silver linings on the field.
Over the final three games of the year in 2024, McKinstry shined. Despite being targeted 17 times against the Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he allowed just five receptions, a 29.4% catch percentage.
Kool-Aid McKinstry had Mike Evans clamped up pic.twitter.com/IGFCS5NZUq
— Saints Film Room (@SaintsFilmRoom) January 5, 2025
In the 34-0 drumming of the Saints by the Packers, McKinstry allowed just one catch for 15 yards and forced a 50.1 passer rating. He was the high point of an otherwise frustrating primetime display.
Opportunity
With former starting cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo headed elsewhere since last year’s trade deadline, McKinstry has a ton of opportunity ahead of him. He’ll spend the offseason preparing to take on the starting cornerback role rather than being thrust into the situation out of necessity.
Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s pattern-matching coverage approach (should he retain that coverage plan in New Orleans) would be a comfortable system for McKinstry to adjust to as he ran a similar system in Alabama.
