Alabama cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold are both predicted to be early-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft, but their previous head coach believes they bring distinct strengths to the table.
Nick Saban makes his debut on ESPN College GameDay on Thursday, the opening day of the 2024 NFL Draft. Fellow analyst Joey Galloway questioned Saban about the distinctions between Arnold and McKinstry.
Here’s Saban’s answer:
“I think Terrion Arnold, if you watched him play last year, struggled a little bit,” Saban said. “So you’ve got to give him a lot of credit for the hard work he did to improve and become a really good player this year. Kool-Aid is a more naturally instinctive guy. He’s played more football, but Terrion has great measurables, (a) really good cover guy, (has) got good ball skills, tackles tough.
“… But the biggest difference to me is Kool-Aid is a little bit more mature right now as a player, he’s played more smart. He really understands the game, he played receiver. He played with Bo Nix in high school (at Pinson Valley) — so he played receiver and defensive back. I think that’s the only difference in the two.”
McKinstry (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) was a three-year starter at Alabama, finishing with 93 tackles, 23 pass breakups and two interceptions. He was a first-team All-SEC pick in 2022 and 2023 and a first-team All-American in 2023.
