The New York Giants have yet to make any major additions to their secondary despite having a glaring need at cornerback. Opposite Deonte Banks, the Giants’ second starting cornerback job is up for grabs. They could aim to fill this hole in the lineup during the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
Giants to meet with Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Giants are set to have a 30 meeting with Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry. If he manages to slip into the second round of the draft, McKinstry could be an intriguing target for the Giants.
Could McKinstry fill the Giants’ need at cornerback in Round 2?
McKinstry could wind up being a first-round draft pick, but if he manages to fall into the second round, the Giants should be heavily interested.
Drafting McKinstry would give Big Blue size and speed at the cornerback position. He stands in at 5-foot-11, 199 pounds, and ran a 4.47s 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Scouting Combine. He ranks among the top cornerback prospects in this year’s draft. Pro Football Focus’s Trevor Sikkema listed McKinstry as the No. 5 cornerback in this year’s draft class:
“McKinstry plays one of the most difficult positions in the game with so much poise and production,” Sikkema wrote. “He might not be an elite athlete, but he is one of the smartest cornerback prospects you’ll find. He can play in any defensive scheme and is the type of player you draft in the first round.”
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Over the last two seasons, McKinstry has been a dominant press-coverage cornerback for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Per PFF, McKinstry played exactly 1,000 coverage snaps over the past two years, and 573 were in press, from which he earned a 90.3 coverage grade with two interceptions and an astounding 25 forced incompletions.
The Giants could combine McKinstry with Banks and give themselves two young and promising cornerbacks to build their defense around for the next several years. Both McKinstry and Banks thrive in press-man coverage and could play off one another well in new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen’s defensive system. If he manages to slip into the second round, McKinstry should be a priority target for the Giants with the No. 47 overall pick.