Kool-Aid McKinstry has had to wait a while to show what he can do physically in front of NFL teams. On Wednesday, he finally got that chance after he was prevented from working out at the Combine following the discovery of a Jones fracture in his foot during medical checks.

McKinstry worked out at Alabama's pro day in front of a crowd that featured representatives from all 32 teams, per NFL.com's Eric Edholm and, given the injury he is dealing with, things could not have gone much better.

His lowest unofficial time, per ESPN's Jordan Reid, was 4.47 seconds. While his efforts in the vertical leap (34.5in) and broad jump (10ft 1in) understandably weren't as impressive, McKinstry's display on the track sent a message to teams looking to invest in a cornerback in the first round that they need not worry about his injury, on which he confirmed he will have surgery on Friday.

That message likely will have got back to John Lynch and the San Francisco 49ers front office from their representative in Tuscaloosa. McKinstry met formally with the Niners at the Combine and they have been linked with him in mock drafts, with A to Z Sports' Travis May penciling him in as San Francisco's selection at 31st overall in his latest.

McKinstry is expected to be ready to return from surgery by training camp. While the 49ers would surely like that recovery date to be much earlier, they have the resources at cornerback to be patient with McKinstry, having added another 2023 starter, Isaac Yiadom, to their depth chart. Yiadom is coming off a career year with the New Orleans Saints in which he registered 14 pass breakups. 

The presence of Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir and now Yiadom would allow the 49ers to slow play things with McKinstry, whose versatility in providing physical and tight coverage in man and playing with excellent awareness in zone would give San Francisco's defense more scope to mix up its coverages.

“It was very important for me to come out here and compete today,” McKinstry said, per Kennington Smith III of The Athletic.

“Just to give it my all and show what I got. It was tough for me to get the news I got at the combine, but I was still able to show what I got and feel good about it.”

“I just feel like I can do it all. Whether that’s playing (outside) corner, in the slot, etc. I can move very well, I got the speed to guard whoever. Just my mentality, how consistent I am as an athlete, my consistency in my day-to-day life is just different."

Those words will be music to the ears of the 49ers. San Francisco has focused on adding durable players in free agency, but McKinstry's injury should not deter the Niners. 

He played in 42 career games in three seasons at Alabama. Durability has never been a concern before and, as such, McKinstry should be a serious first-round consideration for a 49ers team that will, as it stands, head into next offseason with both Ward and Lenoir as free agents. McKinstry's short-term future might not be ideal because of his surgery, but he would be a smart long-term investment.

San Francisco 49ers’ smart free agency approach has put them in envious position for NFL Draft

They have a lot of freedom.