SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Lions fill their cups with Honolulu Blue Kool-Aid

As mock draft season comes to a close, so does our SB Nation writer’s mock draft series. So far, 28 picks have come off the board and the Detroit Lions are now on the clock.

At this point in the draft, many of the big-named prospects have been selected—you can read short excerpts about each pick here—but let’s do a quick recap of the players drafted:

• QB: Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix, Bo Nix
• WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas
• TE: Brock Bowers
• OL: Joe Alt, Taliese Fuaga, J.C. Latham, Troy Fautanu, Olu Fashanu, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Amarius Mims, Graham Barton
• EDGE: Dallas Turner, Laiatu Latu, Jared Verse, Chop Robinson
• DT Johnny Newton, Byron Murphy
• CB: Terrion Arnold, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean

That left me with seven players I considered for the Lions at this spot:

• Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
• Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
• Zach Frazier, IOL, West Virginia
• Darius Robinson, DL, Missouri
• Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
• Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
• Ennis Rakestraw, CB, Missouri

Each prospect presents intriguing possibilities for Detroit, but at the end of the day, I went with the player who I believe is a seamless roster fit at one of the biggest positions of immediate and long-term need.

Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

5-foot-11 ¹⁄₂, 199 pounds, 4.47 (40-yard-dash), 1.44 (10-yard split)
Coverage scheme: Press man
Contact with Lions: Combine, “Top 30”, Pro Day

McKinstry is arguably the best press-man cover corner in this draft class, and with the Lions' preference of leaning back toward press-man coverage, the Alabama prospect is one of the best fits for Detroit in this draft cycle.

While not an elite athlete, McKinstry is still firmly above average with enough athleticism and speed to hold down a starting role in the NFL. His 4.47-second 40-yard dash on a fractured foot at Alabama’s Pro Day was enough to illustrate he has the necessary long speed to stay in a press-man role and warrant a first-round selection. That is something he needed to prove because he’s not as quick or twitchy as other corners in this class.

As a three-year starter at Alabama, McKinstry has fine-tuned his craft and plays with the confidence you would expect from a player with his level of experience. It’s rare for a freshman to step into a starting role in Nick Saban’s secondary—as a former secondary coach, expectations are always high—but the players who accomplish this are typically highly intelligent. Just ask the last player to pull this off: Lions’ Brian Branch.

In addition, McKinstry’s reliability as a tackler and contributions in run defense should provide him with opportunities to find the field early in his career. These skills could also translate immediately to special teams, where he has experience on pursuit teams, as well as a kick and punt returner.

As a rookie, McKinstry would compete for a starting role and help bring more stability to a room that has struggled for some time now. With McKinstry, Branch, Carlton Davis, Amik Robertson, and Emmanuel Moseley, the Lions would have a solid foundation to help turn things around in 2024.

According to the folks over at DraftKings Sportsbook, the Lions are expected to draft a corner with their first selection. Currently, the odds are +135 that the first player that the Lions draft will be a corner, compared to offensive line (+275), wide receiver (+300), and defensive line/edge (+300).

DraftKings also appears to believe in the Lions drafting McKinstry, as I’m sure it’s no coincidence that his projected draft position is 28.5 (over -135, under +105) and the Lions hold pick No. 29 overall.