The New Orleans Saints second-round pick Kool-Aid McKinstry pushed back on the notion that he doesn't have much familiarity with guarding the slot. While he didn't line up there often at Alabama, it does give him the best opportunity to play as a rookie, and he says he got plenty of experience in the slot practicing with Nick Saban's defense. He feels comfortable playing the role despite not taking many snaps at the position.

Adebo walked into the best, and arguably most interesting position room in New Orleans. Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo project to start on the outside with Alontae Taylor manning the slot inside. McKinstry's quickest path to the field seems to be pushing Taylor on the inside.

We all believed there would be a learning curve for the rookie getting acclimated to a new position. In a recent presser after Saints training camp practice, McKinstry described himself as very familiar with both outside corner and nickel. Local reporters were understandably confused by his description because of McKinstry's lack of in-game experience at nickel.

He didn't slide inside in-game, but McKinstry says he "took a lot of reps in practice just like he's doing in New Orleans" at slot corner with the second-team defense at Alabama. Practicing those reps has instilled at the least a confidence in the technical differences when playing nickel corner. The biggest difference between the two positions that McKinstry highlighted was the proximity to the football.

"You're just around the ball more," McKinstry said, following up with there being "more opportunities to make tackles." Lining up closer to the action has its perks.

They may not have been many live game reps, but this experience at practiice gave McKinstry a foundation in the slot for him to build on as a rookie with New Orleans.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Kool-Aid McKinstry says playing in the slot is 'very familiar'