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Alabama Football Star Defensive Back Meets With Buccaneers Ahead of Draft
Kool-Aid McKinstry is one of many players the Bucs have been linked with throughout the pre-draft process.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing their due diligience, as the saying goes, and they recently brought in a first-round talent they've been linked with to visit them in Tampa Bay.
NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reported Wednesday that Tampa Bay has brought in Alabama defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry for one of the team's Top 30 visits. McKinstry has played cornerback for the Crimson Tide for the last three years.
The Bucs certainly have a need at corner now, as the team traded away Carlton Davis III to the Detroit Lions earlier in the offseason. As it stands, Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum are the team's two starting cornerbacks, but another draft pick could ensure that the secondary remains stable after Davis' departure. Many agree, as quite a few people have mocked McKinstry to the Bucs.
McKinstry is a talented corner, having defended 23 passes during his three years at Alabama. He isn't exactly a ballhawk, though, only having two interceptions during that time period, and there are some concerns about his deep ball coverage and his ability to match up with physical receivers, which he'd certainly have to do in Tampa Bay. Nonetheless, he's been praised for his abilities in the run game and his aggresiveness at the catch point, so he could be a good fit for the Bucs.
Tampa Bay could go corner with its first selection in the draft, but it also has a few other needs ranging from edge rusher to interior offensive line — we won't truly know where the team goes until the night of the NFL Draft on April 25.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 offseason.
