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OVERVIEW

King played for former NFL linebacker Hardy Nickerson at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, so it's not a surprise that he has the skills to play defense at the highest level. He was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 pick at cornerback the past two seasons, using his length to make plays on the ball each season (39 tackles, three interceptions, five pass break-ups in 2015; 44 stops, 3.5 for loss, two interceptions team-high 13 PBUs in 2016). His one-handed interception in the end zone against Arizona State was one of the best plays in college football last fall. King began his career for the Huskies at safety, starting twice as a true freshman (17 tackles) and then 12 of 13 games in 2014 (65 tackles, one INT, three PBU). His senior year was the first time he did not miss games during the season, as he missed five games due to injury and one to illness during his first three years.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

Rare height for the position. Solid job of restricting catch window on routes outside the numbers. Shoves receivers toward boundary and drifts into their running lane to decrease catch opportunity. Length creates challenge for receivers used to winning at the high point. Instinctive with good feel for finding football. Allowed just one touchdown over last 101 targets. Six career interceptions with hands to make the circus pick. Patient from press coverage. Quick to turn and locate once his back is to the quarterback. Saw increase in pass breakups in senior season. Willing to get physical with blocking receivers when it comes time to disengage and make a tackle. Has played all four spots in secondary and slot corner as well.

WEAKNESSES

Timed speed and play speed are both concerns. Sluggish feet in press allow quick-releasers to shoot past him. Unable to find necessary acceleration for functional makeup speed. Hands are flimsy in his jams. Could use more upper body strength. High center of gravity makes sudden change of direction a challenge. NFL ball production could be a concern. Takes path to his man over paths to the ball. Lacks desired twitch for NFL transitioning to the throws. Takes too long from bail technique and backpedal to plant and burst on the ball. Ankle biter willing to engage in too many arm tackles and blind shoulder rolls.

DRAFT PROJECTION

Round 1-2

SOURCES TELL US

"I'm not 100 percent sure what you do with him because he's not a physical tackler, but he's almost too tall to be trusted against shifty receivers. Maybe a team like Seattle, which love those long, press corners. Or you might see a team try and make him a free safety." -- West Coast regional scout for AFC team

NFL COMPARISON

Damian Swann

BOTTOM LINE

Unusually tall cornerback with experience playing in the slot and as a starting safety. Showed improved instincts and ball production in 2016, but there are still concerns about whether he has the athleticism and recovery speed to utilize his length to play the football. Might be best suited to more zone coverage or off-man based on his speed limitations, but in either scheme he'll need to improve his aggressiveness as a tackler.

PLAYER OVERVIEW

With all due respect to Marcus Peters (No. 18 overall in 2015 by Kansas City), Sidney Jones IV and Budda Baker, the most versatile defender in Washington's talent-laden secondary the past few years was King, who reigned regardless of whether he was asked to line up at safety or cornerback.

Though he starred at cornerback in high school, King initially earned playing for the Huskies at safety, starting 14 (including 12 as a sophomore) games over his first two years with the program. He was asked to slide back to cornerback in 2015 after then-new head coach Chris Petersen booted Peters off the team and earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 honors with a career high three interceptions and eight passes defensed. While lining up at cornerback (on the perimeter and inside in nickel), King was again voted to the Honorable Mention squad in 2016, despite recording an eye-popping 15 passes defensed, tie for second best in the conference over the regular season.

King's calling card is his versatility. He possesses the size, acceleration, awareness and reliable open-field tackling skills to revert back to free safety at the next level. He is surprisingly agile for a player of his height, however, and could remain at cornerback for a heavy press or zone scheme that features his click-and-close ability.

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

STRENGTHS: Offers rare size at cornerback with a lean, tapered frame, including very long limbs. Surprisingly agile in coverage, showing the loose hips to turn and shadow receivers downfield when in press coverage. Will extend an arm but isn't reliant upon landing his initial jam. A cerebral, experienced player often slid inside to play nickel duties against three and four receiver sets. Very good awareness while in zone, anticipating underneath routes and closing quickly downhill to break up passes, often providing a physical pop on contact to jar the ball free. Good hand-eye coordination to sneak his mitt between those of the intended receiver to rip it away as it arrives and has shown good ballskills to record the interception (including a one-handed circus catch in the end zone against Arizona State). Generally a reliable open-field tackler, whose uses his long arms to lasso the legs of ball-carriers. High character player who earned Honorable Mention All-Academic honors as a senior as well as the team's community service award.

WEAKNESSES: Is not as consistently physical as his size and occasional big hits might indicate. Too often seems more interested in ripping at the ball with his tackles and has too many of his tackle attempts broken. More of a grabber as a tackler, rather than consistently hitting, driving and wrapping securely. At his best facing the quarterback. Like a lot of longer cornerbacks, King needs an extra step to change direction, leaving him somewhat vulnerable to smaller, shiftier receivers. Projects best in some schemes to safety, a position he has not played in two years (and was complemented by two stellar cover corners in Peters and Jones when he did play this role).

 

IN OUR VIEW: Though his more touted teammates will likely earn a higher draft pick, King's size, awareness and versatility warrant top 100 consideration. His ability to play multiple roles should help King earn a roster spot in the NFL. His size is both a quality and a curse. While big enough to shrink passing lanes, King will always be vulnerable to shifty route-runners.

 

COMPARES TO: Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Seattle Seahawks: Teams prioritizing length at cornerback will no doubt be intrigued by King's length. Jean-Baptiste has struggled to make an impact in the NFL after the New Orleans Saints made the former Nebraska standout the 58th overall pick of the 2014 draft. King's experience at safety could make his transition to the NFL a smoother one.

 

--Rob Rang (1/16/17)

Last edited by Rusty
Original Post

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Seems like a guy who needs to badly get in to the S&C program, but with that frame and that athleticism he's more of a projection than a finished product. If he gets stronger then you're looking at a physical specimin like Richard Sherman, maybe better. 

While he’d arrive in Green Bay with concerns, cornerbacks with King’s length and movement ability are exceedingly rare. Highly respected cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr. could help correct King’s on-field issues and unlock his potential as a legitmate shutdown cornerback.

I don't think he's physical enough to be in any kind of run support role, I think he's a CB only. Maybe he's a center fielder at S, but really his best spot will be as a perimeter CB covering other teams tall WRs. He's a smooth coverage player, I would liken him more to a tall Patrick Robinson or Tracy Porter.

Last edited by Grave Digger

What I like: We got an extra pick. 

What I don't like: Yet again, we start another season with rookie CBs. I'm too jaded from consistently having rookie and undrafted FAs in our secondary that I can't get excited. 

We needed to spend money for veteran talent at this position. Remember when we spent money on guys like White, Dotson, and Woodson? Good things followed. 

DH13 posted:

Who the F is Damian Swann?

Size/speed prospect out of Georgia that got picked by the Saints in round five two years ago.  I think he's still with them but hasn't played that much due to concussion and other injury issues.

I find it interesting that the Pac 12 plays about as much D as the Big 12, (Which means almost none at all.) yet we keep taking high D draft picks from the Pac 12 almost every year it seems. Also, I understand it can be a lot of political BS, but it's kind of strange that he didn't get picked any higher than honorable mention for the Pac 12 teams the past couple of years.

Oh well, I hope it works out and the kid becomes a baller but I feel about as uninspired by this pick as I did the Kenny Clark pick last year.  

Last edited by Maxi54

The Packers did not need a versatile defensive back with this pick.  Last thing they needed was a guy who would end up in the slot (likely where Rollins will end up as he has issues with speed on the outside).  They needed a guy who can be depended on to line up on outside receivers and stick to them.  IMO that was the very small difference maker between King and Awuzie.  While Awuzie has good enough height (5-11 7/8), his average vertical (34.5) and short arm length (30 5/8) might cause him to have some problems with the bigger receivers.  Not saying that a bean-pole like King will be immune to getting shoved around by bigger players, but I think he has a slightly better chance at matching up outside against the big fast guys than Awuzie does.  My guess is that what made the difference in Thompson's eyes.  However, if King would have gotten picked between #29 and #32, I'd guess Thompson probably would have gone with Awuzie and been perfectly happy doing so (definitely stick with CB, Awuzie the favorite but maybe Quincy Wilson instead).

Picking what position Thompson was going to go with was not hard.  Figuring out which cornerback he'd favor over the others was pretty tough.  Lots of really talented guys that fit Thompson's preferred profile for CBs.

Maxi54 posted:

Oh well, I hope it works out and the kid becomes a baller but I feel about as uninspired by this pick as I did the Kenny Clark pick last year.  

Which bodes well for the Green Bay Packers 

I absolutely agree with you guys that Clark had a good year. Especially since he's still so young and the NT position takes some time to grow into. I think long term he's going to be a good player. Just something about the pick that makes me feel kind of, "meh" about it. Let's hope the King pick turns out more in line with Clark's start than Datone Jone's time with the pack.

I don't, "hate" the King pick by any means. More like a wait and see and hope it works out feeling.

Last edited by Maxi54
Maxi54 posted:

Also, I understand it can be a lot of political BS, but it's kind of strange that he didn't get picked any higher than honorable mention for the Pac 12 teams the past couple of years.

  

I wouldn't say politics but there are some biases that will always be built into that type of system which won't necessarily lead to the right players getting votes.

A great player at Southern California will generally get consideration over a great player from Washington State.

A great player who is a senior will generally get consideration over a great player who is a freshman.

If a guy has a great sophomore year and slumps a bit as a junior, he's likely to get more consideration as a junior than a different player who is having a better season just because the first guy has the bigger name from the previous year.

Sometimes in a down year at a position, players from a school with a reputation of having great players at a position will get consideration they shouldn't. 

Not sure if any of these would apply to King, but it sure didn't help him that Sidney Jones was also a CB with a much bigger name and was playing on the same team.

King played for former NFL linebacker Hardy Nickerson at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, so it's not a surprise that he has the skills to play defense at the highest level.

Too bad Nickerson couldn't show that level when he was with the Packers.

PackerJoe posted:
Maxi54 posted:

Also, I understand it can be a lot of political BS, but it's kind of strange that he didn't get picked any higher than honorable mention for the Pac 12 teams the past couple of years.

  

I wouldn't say politics but there are some biases that will always be built into that type of system which won't necessarily lead to the right players getting votes.

 

I understand and agree with everything you said here Joe. I just thought he would have at least made 2nd team All Pac-12. In the greater scheme of things these awards really don't mean a damn thing. Like I said, I'm pulling for the kid and I hope he ends up being a great CB/pick for the Pack.

No. There's a reason that there have been a record number of DB picks in the first 2 rounds. Passing league. More 5 DB packages being played than any other D groupings.

And now another S.

Pikes Peak posted:
BrainDed posted:

Underwhelming.   

So now that we've added House and our top pick as a CB is it safe to say we are admitting Randall / Rollins picks were not so hot?

You may be on to something

Disagree.

You build a team with outstanding DB'S 

Need more than 2 or 4 or 6. Need 10!!

Passing league. Stop the pass, win the game.

Anyone that thinks differently has no fukking clue what they're talking about. PERIOD!

Maxi54 posted:

I absolutely agree with you guys that Clark had a good year. Especially since he's still so young and the NT position takes some time to grow into. I think long term he's going to be a good player. Just something about the pick that makes me feel kind of, "meh" about it. Let's hope the King pick turns out more in line with Clark's start than Datone Jone's time with the pack.

I don't, "hate" the King pick by any means. More like a wait and see and hope it works out feeling.

If Bob McGinn thinks King is a first rounder, that's good enough for me.

I don't think TT is ready to give up on Rollins, Randall and Gunter but you don't get CB at #33 if you're even remotely happy there.  Joe Whitt has a hell of a job ahead of him, developing 4 young CBs and a young safety.  

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