- With the 41st pick overall pick in the second round, New Orleans selected Alabama cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry.
- The Saints traded up to the 41st overall pick in a trade with Green Bay in exchange for the 45th pick, a fifth round draft pick (No. 168) and the team's sixth round pick (No. 190).
- This is the only the second time New Orleans has selected from the 41st overall slot. In 1980, the Saints selected Notre Dame cornerback Dave Waymer with the 45th overall selection. Waymer is the franchise's all-time leader with 37 interceptions, who was inducted posthumously into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 1996.
- McKinstry, 5 feet 11, 199 pounds, was the 63rd cornerback selected by the club all-time.
- McKinstry became the first Alabama cornerback selected by New Orleans and the third Crimson Tide defensive back overall, joining safeties Roman Harper (2006) and Vinnie Sunseri (2014). He is the ninth Alabama player selected in the draft by the Saints. Alabama and Missouri are tied for producing the 12th most Saints out of the NFL Draft by colleges.
- McKinstry is the only former Crimson Tide player currently on the Saints roster.
- In three seasons at Alabama (2021-23), McKinstry recorded 92 tackles, five stops for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and 25 passes defensed. In two seasons (2022-23) as the primary punt returner, he returned 35 punts for 418 yards (11.9 avg.).
- In 2023, McKinstry was a consensus first-team All-American and All-SEC selection and semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, as he made 32 stops, including two for a loss and broke up seven passes. He also returned 14 punts for 86 yards with a long gain of 33 yards. He was a defensive and special teams centerpiece for a Crimson Tide team that won the SEC Championship game and advanced to the College Football Playoff for the second time in three years.
- In 2022, McKinstry was a second-team All-American at cornerback and punt returner and a first-team All-SEC defensive back. On defense, he made 35 tackles, including two stops for a loss, one sack, one 26-yard interception return and 16 passes defensed. He ranked second among Division I punt returners with 332 yards and averaged 15.8 yards per punt return, ranked second in the nation and first in the conference.
- In 2021, McKinstry served as a key reserve in the secondary and on special teams in his first year with the Crimson Tide, recording 25 tackles, including one stop for a loss, one sack, one interception and two passes defensed, earning freshman All-SEC honors as Alabama advanced to the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
- A Birmingham native, McKinstry played for former NFL defensive back Sam Shade at Pinson Valley High School, where he was widely considered the top cornerback in the 2021 signing class and led his team to the Alabama 6A State Championship in 2020 and three titles in four years.
- The NFL Draft resumes with the last four rounds Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. Following Friday's trade up, New Orleans holds three picks in the fifth round (No. 150, No. 170 and No. 175), one sixth round pick (No. 199) and one seventh round pick (No. 239) for five total selections.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
Check out photos of New Orleans Saints 2024 NFL Draft second round selection Kool-Aid McKinstry, cornerback out of Alabama who was selected with the 41st pick.
