Good on both sides moving quickly here. KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports that the New Orleans Saints have signed second-round draft pick Kool-Aid McKinstry. This means the Saints’ entire 2024 draft class is under contract almost two months before training camp starts in late July. The roster is officially at its 91-man capacity, including the former Alabama cornerback.
It’s a bit of a surprise. Each of the Saints’ last three second-round picks (Isaiah Foskey, Alontae Taylor, and Pete Werner) didn’t sign their contracts until about a week before camp opened. Second rounders have become a point of contention between teams and agents haggling over guaranteed money, offsets, and other minutiae, but McKinstry’s representatives and the Saints front office were able to cut a deal here very quickly.
So that’s one less thing to sweat as we move into summer. McKinstry figures to compete for snaps either out wide (with Paulson Adebo) or in the slot (against Taylor), but he could also get on the field at safety in dime personnel sets. Saints coach Dennis Allen has frequently praised his intelligence and football instincts, and as a former defensive back himself should have no problem carving out a role for the rookie. With Marshon Lattimore unlikely to be traded, the Saints may have the NFL’s best depth chart at cornerback.
