The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were hurt by a pick that was made considerably earlier, even though they didn’t start counting until the 57th pick on Day 2.
The New Orleans Saints selected a player that seems to have been targeted by the Buccaneers by moving up four spots in the draft. The player that New Orleans moved up to acquire, or at least feared might be taken between No. 41 and No. 45, was Kool-Aid
McKinstry.
Throughout the draft process, the Buccaneers kept an eye on McKinstry because he appeared to be a perfect match. Ultimately, everything worked out fine because Tampa Bay selected Chris Braswell in the draft to acquire some depth at edge rusher, but it’s still
noteworthy—and infuriating—that the Saints advanced and selected a player that the Bucs could have been interested in.
In Round 2, the Saints trade up to select Kool-Aid McKinstry.
The Saints traded up to acquire McKinstry, not only did they grab him before the Bucs had a chance to take him at No. 57.
In order to take McKinstry at No. 41, the Saints had to give up three picks, which might be seen as a testament to how well Baker Mayfield and the Bucs performed in the previous campaign. Even though they defeated the Bucs at Tampa Bay late in the season, New
Orleans still needs to figure out how to effectively stop them.
However, it was insufficient to surpass them in the NFC South rankings, and the Saints have more to worry about than simply Tampa Bay.
Even though we’ve all had a great time in Atlanta since last night, the Falcons are predicted to perform better than they did the previous year. None of the three teams will likely be as poor as they were, and their offenses are all set to be very strong in 2024.
In addition to those benefits, McKinstry makes sense for the Saints as a possible Marshon Lattimore replacement.
It remains to be seen how he performs in the pros, but it’s a move that at the very least piques the interest of the Bucs. Although this class is loaded with cornerbacks, McKinstry’s presence on Day 2 felt unreal because Tampa Bay had already made fun of him at No. 26.
Not only does this demonstrate how highly regarded he is, but it also appears like New Orleans saw they were falling behind the Bucs offense and had to trade up to acquire him.
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