The Saints may have a few new names ready to make noise in 2026, but one of the biggest swing pieces on the roster is already in place. On defense, all eyes are on Kool-Aid McKinstry, the 2024 second-round pick out of Alabama, who now looks like the player New Orleans is ready to hand the No. 1 cornerback job to.
That’s the view from The Athletic’s Larry Holder, who pegged McKinstry as the Saints’ breakout candidate for the upcoming season. Holder pointed to the way the team has moved on from Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and Alontae Taylor in recent years, with the goal of eventually making McKinstry the top corner in the room.
“It’s taken until now for McKinstry to be deemed the Saints’ top cornerback after being a second-round pick in 2024,” Holder writes. “… The Saints have moved on from names like Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, and Alontae Taylor the past few years, with the intent on having McKinstry eventually become the team’s No. 1 corner.”
McKinstry’s 2025 season showed both why the Saints trust him and why there’s still room for a leap. He played in 17 games, started all of them, and finished with three interceptions, 17 passes defended, 76 tackles, and three tackles for loss.
The ball production stands out. The coverage numbers, not as much. On 92 targets last season, McKinstry gave up 54 catches for 752 yards and eight touchdowns, which produced a 100.5 passer rating against him.
So the résumé from last year wasn’t spotless. But McKinstry is still only 23 and has just two seasons under his belt, which is why the breakout talk feels more like a matter of when than if. Holder put it plainly: “It’s no guarantee that he ‘breaks out,’ but the chance is there for him.”
For New Orleans, that chance matters. McKinstry has the draft status, the runway, and now the opportunity to settle into the role the Saints have been building toward. If it clicks in 2026, it could be a major development for the defense.
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