The Pittsburgh Steelers have a few needs as free agency and the NFL draft approaches, and none might be bigger than at cornerback. While Joey Porter Jr. looks like a long-term solution, an aging Patrick Peterson may not be on the team in 2024. With Chandon Sullivan and James Pierre set to hit free agency, the team’s internal options are thin with a lot of unproven talent. Luckily for the Steelers, the 2024 NFL Draft is full of cornerback talent, and NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice thinks the team will select Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry in the first round.
“Pittsburgh successfully shored up one cornerback spot with last year’s selection of Joey Porter Jr. Now it’s time to address the other. With all due respect to future Hall of Famer Patrick Peterson, he’s no longer the same player in his mid-30s and feels like a prime cut candidate,” Filice writes.
Pittsburgh may opt to keep Peterson out of necessity as the rest of the team’s options at cornerback might not be much better. While Darius Rush and Cory Trice Jr. are young and could develop into good cornerbacks, it’s hard to rely on either of them to be impact players in 2024. But even if Peterson is in the mix, the team is still going to need another option at the position, and McKinstry could be a good fit.
At 6010 and 195 pounds, he has the ideal size for the position and his long speed will help him as an outside cornerback in the NFL. Jonathan Heitritter compared McKinstry to Christian Gonzalez, who was in the midst of an impressive rookie campaign with the New England Patriots before his season was cut short due to injury. It’s too early to project what Gonzalez could be, but the early returns were incredibly promising and if the Steelers land that caliber of prospect at No. 20, it will be a great selection.
McKinstry had first-round hype entering the 2023 season, and he did nothing to quell that even playing alongside another first-round cornerback in Terrion Arnold. McKinstry had seven passes defensed after logging 15 his junior season and was another shutdown presence in Alabama’s loaded secondary, which also featured star freshman Caleb Downs at safety. The Crimson Tide have a history of producing good NFL pros under recently retired Nick Saban, and McKinstry could be another long, athletic cornerback for Pittsburgh to add to its room and pair long-term with Porter.
Even if the Steelers bring back Peterson, he isn’t a long-term solution like McKinstry would be. Finding a young cornerback to develop alongside Porter should be a priority for the Steelers this offseason, and this selection would address that in a big way.
