With all the rumors and innuendo that have swirled around Marshon Lattimore this offseason, it'd be easy to get lost in the idea that the Saints' pick of Kool-Aid McKinstry signals a sea change at cornerback.
But as Deuce McAllister explained from WWL's Draft fest, this pick was all about the Kool-Aid man, whom the Saints traded up to pick at No. 41 overall and with their only Day 2 pick.
"If you move [Marshon], now you’re throwing a young player into the mix that now he’s got to be immediately available, and here’s the thing, he’s coming off an injury, so if you want to rush him back, that's how you do it," Deuce said. "I think that you get him 100% healthy and I think that you keep that group together. What happens 2-3 years down the line, we’ll see, but at the end of the day he’s a really good player and if he doesn’t have that foot injury, he’s not even on the board for the Saints.”
Listen to more from Deuce, Mike Hoss, Mike Detillier and Steve Geller at WWL's Draft Fest in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
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The bigger question will be where the former Alabama standout fits into the equation. Dennis Allen indicated that he'd be worked in at both outside and the slot, but he could also factor in as a returner on punts and kickoffs. He will also factor into the CB3 equation, with Isaac Yiadom having signed with the 49ers in free agency.
"I think, you know, starting with special teams, working a little bit defensively, let him get his feet wet" McAllister said, "and then a couple years down the line you see what happens for him taking over completely.”