Saints Predicted To Have Breakout Star In New Orleans

The New Orleans Saints have addressed some of the flaws from last season but there is still room for growth.

This isn't shocking. It's just May 31st. We're just under 100 days away from the Saints kicking off their season. The roster certainly isn't going to look exactly the same by the time Week 1 gets here. There absolutely could be some additions and there likely will be some sort of surprising cut as the team gets the roster down to 53 guys. This is the case every year. Also, when the rosters are trimmed down, New Orleans very likely will find some use for someone another team cuts. That's just the nature of the business.

Over the last few weeks, the cornerback position specifically has been talked about a lot. This is because the Saints have lost a lot of talent over the last year in Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore. The Saints tried to sign Charvarius Ward, but missed out.

It wouldn't hurt to add one of the guys still available, like Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas, James Bradberry, Kendall Fuller, and Asante Samuel Jr. among others. But, the Saints do have a guy who could step up in 2025.

2024 second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry was solid as a rookie and is now in line for a massive role. He has some buzz going into the 2025 season and Pro Football Focus' Thomas Valentine predicted that McKinstry will be the most improved corner in football in 2025.

"Cornerback: Kool-Aid McKinstry, New Orleans Saints," Valentine said. "It’s hard to look at the Saints’ current situation and feel optimistic about the 2025 season. Tyler Shough has his fans, but as a soon-to-be 26-year-old rookie quarterback, the learning curve could be tough for him. Along with that, the Saints are lacking youth across the board. However, McKinstry stepped into a starting role midway through the season and impressed.

"McKinstry earned a 66.1 grade, 52nd out of 128 cornerbacks, in 2024, and his 67.1 coverage grade was 45th. In coverage, he allowed just 33 receptions on 57 targets for 404 yards, and he is a smart football player with the strong athleticism to match. That’s why it’s easy to bet on McKinstry taking a big step forward in 2025. With Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore out of the building, McKinstry is now the Saints' top cover-corner, and the former Alabama corner showed enough in his rookie season to believe that he could be in for a big sophomore year."

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