Kool-Aid McKinstry offers personal injury update after joining Saints

The New Orleans Saints wrapped up rookie minicamp this weekend but they had a notable absence on the field as second-rounder Kool-Aid McKinstry continues working his way back from injury. McKinstry told reporters on Saturday that he’s trying to get back on the field as fast as possible but didn’t provide a timeline.

“Right now, just rehabbing, you know, we’re all on the same page,” McKinstry said. “Trying to get back as quickly as possible but in a smart way. That’s kind of where we’re at right now.”

At the NFL Scouting Combine, the league discovered McKinstry had a Jones fracture in his right foot, which is preventing him from starting his career with the Saints at 100% health. However, the team still had him going through walk-throughs this weekend to keep up with his fellow rookies.

“The coaches do a good job of explaining everything,” McKinstry said. “I done seen a lot of this stuff just by me playing at Alabama, so just kind of using different words and putting them all together to be the same things.

“They’ve been allowing me to go and do walk throughs. Just walk through and see it all, to move around with the guys. There’s a guy in front of me – going behind him and walking through the plays. I’m still getting mental reps and taking advantage of them.”

Saints shore up cornerback room with McKinstry

Once the former Crimson Tide cornerback returns to full health, the Saints will add him to the mix that currently involves veterans Marshawn Lattimore, Alontae Taylor, and Paulson Adebo. New Orleans selected McKinstry with the No. 41 overall pick, early in the second round, signaling that they have big plans for his future, despite his surprise injury. Not only did they use a second-round pick to grab him, they traded up to get him, exchanging a fifth-round pick (No. 168) and a sixth-round pick (No. 190) to Green Bay.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen told reporters after the draft that the team graded McKinstry as a first-rounder. Despite cornerback not being the team’s most pressing need, he said that they could never have “too many” good corners.

“I feel really good about getting Kool-Aid,” Allen said. “I think he’s a really good player, highly intelligent, highly instinctual, has shown the ability to play press coverage. He can play outside. We feel like he can go inside and play inside the nickel, so there’s some versatility that he can play with. And so we really like the player and felt like getting him at that value was the right place to get him.”