Saints Have New Orleans' Next Star: 'Second-Year Jump'

The New Orleans Saints are going to need some production from the cornerback position after losing some talent this offseason.

For example, the Saints lost Paulson Adebo in free agency to the New York Giants.

The cornerback position has been viewed as the team’s biggest weakness, but the perception will completely change if 2024 second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry can shine in 2025, though.

He was taken with the No. 41 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and appeared in 15 games last year with the Saints while making nine starts. McKinstry finished the season with six passes defended, 42 total tackles, and two tackles for loss while holding opposing quarterbacks to a 54.8 percent completion rate. He allowed just two touchdowns in coverage and showed flashes of the type of player he can be. New Orleans is going to need him to be a No. 1 corner and he has at least impressed head coach Kellen Moore so far.

Moore noted that he's already seeing the "second-year jump" from the young corner, as transcribed by AL.com's Mark Inabinett.

"He’s been a really steady player," Moore said. "Really consistent through this whole process. He’s doing an excellent job. You can just tell, again a good example of those ones we’ve talked about in the past where your rookie year there’s a lot of things moving. That second year, you get a big second-year jump. And so, certainly he’s a great example of that."

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