New York Giants Draft Prospect: CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

Nick takes a look at one of the top cornerback prospects in this draft class.

Alabama Crimson Tide DB Kool-Aid McKinstry / Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB

Height: 5’11 ½”
Weight: 199 lbs
Arm length: 32”
Wingspan: 75 ⅞”
Hands: 8 ½”
Class: Junior
School: Alabama
STATS

MEASUREMENTS

40-yard-dash: 4.47
10-yard split: 1.44
Vertical jump: 34.5”
Broad jump: 10’1”
3-Cone: 6.98*
20-yard-shuttle: 6.98*
Bench press: 16 reps*
*at pro day

A former five-star recruit from Pinson Valley High School in Pinson, Alabama, he was the state's number one recruit and the state's number one cornerback in the 2021 recruiting cycle. He was also the 13th overall recruit in his class. He was nicknamed Kool-Aid as a child by his grandmother; his birth name is Ga’Quincy McKinstry. He attended the same high school as Bo Nix and was a WR for the former Oregon/Auburn signal caller during his freshman season at Pinson Valley High School. McKinstry helped Pinson Valley win a state title and was first-team All-State on defense.

McKinstry was named Alabama’s Mr. Football and the USA Today Male Athlete of the Year after a stellar senior season at WR and CB. He was receiving Division I offers during his freshman season of high school. McKinstry grew up a Crimson Tide fan and stayed in Alabama to play for Nick Saban.

McKinstry was a Freshman All-Sec selection in 2021, he earned a spot as a Second-Team All-American in 2022 while leading the SEC in passes defended, and then was First-team All-American in 2023. He started 33 of 42 career games. McKinstry did not test at the combine due to a Jones fracture in his right foot. He tested the explosive drills and the forty-yard dash at Alabama’s pro day.

Strengths

* Good overall size and length
* Good overall athlete with solid long speed and smooth COD
* Immediate accelerator
* Good squatty stance - low hands, quick punch when he jams
* Fluid and explosive mover - good short-area quickness
* Very controlled in his press stance
* Quick explosiveness out of breaks downhill (click & close)
* Press ability with excellently disciplined LOS skills (hands/feet)
* Excellent patience is exercised at the LOS in press
* Fluid, oily hips allows him to stick and react quickly
* Beautiful mirror skills from the LOS to the route stem
* Firm jam/turn to reroute
* Eyes dialed into WRs chest on delayed releases - good positioning to target in press
* Good center of gravity/balance in zone turn
* Expands & restricts well in zone turn - good reactive quickness/balance
* Good eyes coming downhill to blow up screens - gets narrow
* Communicator - calls UNDER routes promptly, great feel for defensive coverage responsibility
* Handled match principles well
* Tasked in a variety of different coverages/leverages at Alabama
* Can be successful in man or zone coverages
* Smooth and decisive to competently midpoint well
* Good man coverage ability - maintains contact on inside release, rides up stem, harassing
* Good play strength in coverage
* Strong and physical inside leverage to thwart push-off on quick hitches/curls
* Quick reactor in man coverage - doesn’t give much space
* Match eyes/route understanding
--Texas Q2 4:52, passed post to safety, assumed wheel late, INC
* Comes off route assignment (clearout) at throw underneath
--Texas Q2 14:14, off clearout to undercut deep out No. 2, 13 yd gain
--Ole Miss Q1 6:07 15 yd comeback catch
* An excellent overall processor with high football IQ
* Uses length well at the catch point
* Goes low and wraps up when square in run support
* Good overall tackler
* Solid job disengaging from WRs blocks with hands/gets low
* Does an excellent job as contain defender
* Will get low, set outside, and force box RB - see Kentucky game (2023)
* Very good punt returner
* Did not commit a penalty in 2023

[View more draft prospect scouting profiles.]

Weaknesses

* Isn’t slow, but there may be questions about recovery speed vs. faster receivers
* Got high in his transition from off-coverage
* Could do a better job locating the football in the air - only two career interceptions
* Can sometimes throw his body at WRs after the catch instead of securing the tackle
* Twice against Texas and once against Texas A&M (2023)
* Played the majority of his snaps on the right side of the defense
* Could be more enthused when the play is away from him
* Jones’ fracture in his right foot hurt his offseason

Summary

Kool-Aid McKinstry is a press-man mirror-match CB with an excellent understanding of concepts and the coverage rules of his defense. He’s very patient at the line of scrimmage, with disciplined eyes and good technique from the LOS, up the route stem, and into the break. McKinstry is also disruptive at the catch point but could do a much better job locating the football to increase the probability of creating turnovers (only two interceptions in his career).

McKinstry has the size, physicality, and fluidness to be an impact player as an outside CB in the NFL; while he isn’t slow, his game is more predicated on short-area quickness than long speed. He is smart, sound in run support, and can play in any defensive style. He fits what Shane Bowen is looking for from a CB; great eyes/awareness, match experience, good tackler, etc. It’s not surprising that the Giants brought him in for a Top-30 visit.

GRADE: 6.68

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Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart / Nick Falato

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