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Heading into Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, there were a few eyebrows raised when Alabama corner Kool-Aid McKinstry slipped out of the first round. A number of scouts believed McKinstry would be off the board on Day 1. However, it appears McKinstry's medicals have given some teams pause.
More talked-about, however, has been the fact that his first name corresponds to that of a wildly popular drink.
Here's the story behind Kool-Aid McKinstry's real name.
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How did Kool-Aid McKinstry get his name?
The NFL is a league with a number of intriguing nicknames, especially ones like Sauce Gardner. But the Jets corner will have some competition this year from Kool-Aid McKinstry.
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According to an ESPN profile on the Alabama prospect, McKinstry's real name is Ga'Quincy McKinstry. However, the 'Kool-Aid' nickname has been associated with him since birth.
Per ESPN, McKinstry said:
"I came out my mom smiling and my grandmother was right there by the bed and she said I had a 'Kool-Aid' smile."
And that was that. Since that day on, Ga'Quincy McKinstry was destined to be Kool-Aid McKinstry. And in year of blockbuster NIL deals, it was only a matter of time before the Alabama corner had a deal in the works.
In his freshman year, Kool-Aid McKinstry promptly signed a deal with the drinks company.
Why Kool-Aid McKinstry slipped out of the first round
Sportskeeda's resident draft expert Tony Pauline had McKinstry listed as the 22nd-best prospect on his big board of the top players in the 2024 NFL Draft.
However, in the build-up to the event, Pauline reported:
"Combine medical exams revealed a fracture in McKinstry's right foot, and he was prevented from working out. He did run during Alabama's pro day, timing as fast as 4.47 seconds in the forty before undergoing surgery to repair the fracture two days later."
Pauline had a mid-first round pick on McKinstry so it's only a matter of time before an NFL team calls his name while they're on the clock.
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