Name: Kool-Aid McKinstry

School: Alabama

Year: Junior

Position: Cornerback

Measurables: 6’1”, 194 lbs.

Stats:

Courtesy of Sports-Reference.com

General Info:

Ga’Quincy McKinstry was given the nickname Kool-Aid by his grandmother when he was a child because his wide smile reminded her of the Kool-Aid Man. He embraced this nickname as he grew older; he would later change his legal name to Kool-Aid and sign an NIL deal with the drink company.

Kool-Aid McKinstry became a standout football player at Pinson Valley High School, where he learned from cornerbacks coach Chris Davis (the hero of Auburn’s “Kick Six” Iron Bowl win). McKinstry was named Alabama’s Mr. Football for his senior season where he had 706 receiving yards and 11 receiving TDs as well as two interceptions returned for a touchdown. He was a five-star recruit that decided to play for his childhood favorite team: The Alabama Crimson Tide.

He was an immediate contributor for Alabama’s 2021 team as a freshman, and he followed this up with an impressive sophomore season where he was named First-team All-SEC. His junior year was his most impressive season, which culminated in his selection as a 2023 First-team All-American defensive back. After this season, Kool-Aid declared for the NFL Draft and is expected to be selected in the latter half of the first round.

Positional Skills:

Strengths

Kool-Aid is a fluid athlete. While he may not possess elite speed, he accelerates quickly and has loose hips that allow him to freely change direction without slowing down. Because of this athleticism, Nick Saban utilized him to return punts for a period of time. His frame is desirable for the position as well, as he is 6’1” with long arms.

Known as a PBU artist because of his 26 pass breakups at Alabama, Kool-Aid demonstrates excellent timing at the point of the catch and does an impressive job disrupting wide receivers during the process of the catch.

His football IQ is a huge advantage, as he is quickly able to identify routes and seldom bites on fakes. McKinstry has discussed this as an area of improvement, saying of his junior season, “I feel like I improved more just being more confident within myself, understanding the game more, understanding what down and distance it is and what routes may come off down and distance. I'm just trying to figure out different things for tendencies for a team. I feel like before I was just out there playing just using my talent and using my ability and playing within the defense, but this year I feel like I took it to another level.”

His combination of athleticism/frame and football IQ would make him a capable man or zone corner. As well as schematic versatility, Kool-Aid demonstrated positional versatility, excelling as a boundary corner, a slot corner, and even a safety. This versatility will make him a coveted prospect for any team.

Weaknesses

Kool-Aid will need to improve his tackling at the next level. His form is inconsistent: at times he does not square up with the ball carrier, fails to wrap up, and shies away from contact. There are other instances where he demonstrates great form and physicality. This will need to become more consistent if he is to become an effective player in the NFL.

While he is a quick athlete, McKinstry’s long speed leaves some to be desired. Though he played against good talent in the SEC, this may become a bigger concern in the NFL against top-tier burners, which would limit his capacity in man coverage.

Fit with the Packers:

The Packers enter April with multiple needs in the secondary: a sentence that could have been written nearly every year for the past decade. The Packers’ front office has not shied away from using high draft capital to invest in these positions, but Jaire Alexander has been the only player with a positive ROI thus far.

Notable cornerbacks under contract for the Packers in 2024 are Jaire Alexander, Eric Stokes, and Carrington Valentine. Jaire is a known commodity, but there are question marks with the other players. Eric Stokes has shown flashes of talent during his time on the field, but his play is inconsistent, and he is injured far too often. Carrington Valentine certainly outplayed his seventh-round price tag during his rookie season, but did the Packers front office see enough to trust him as their every-down starter moving forward?

The only more pressing need on the Packers’ roster than cornerback is safety, and with the notable free agent class of safeties, I would not be surprised to see the Packers address that need through free agency. If they do, it would be wise of them to use their first-round draft pick on a cornerback. Kool-Aid McKinstry is expected to come off the board near the Packers’ first selection. Will the Packers select the corner from Alabama at 25? Well, that depends if Brian Gutekunst is drinking the Kool-Aid.

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