The Green Bay Packers didn’t trade the first overall pick of the second round after all. They selected the guy we predicted they would select earlier in the day, Washington cornerback Kevin King.
First of all, the Packers have filled that huge need they had at outside cornerback. Thank god they didn’t pick a damn running back.
What are they getting in King?
He’s super athletic and tall for a corner at 6’3″. At 200 pounds, King may need to add some weight to his frame. King didn’t wow with his statistics. He finished with 44 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, two interceptions and 13 passes defended in 2016.
He was named honorable mention All-Pac-12 in 2015 and 2016.
Where King did wow was at the combine. As Rob detailed when he looked at cornerbacks in the draft who might help the Packers — King was near the top among the best cornerbacks in agility and athleticism.
He ran a 4.43 40 and had 39.5 vertical — the latter being best among the top corners.
I would compare him to a bigger version of Sam Shields.
The knocks on King are he’s not a good tackler (what’s new?) and he can’t effectively cover smaller receivers because of his height.
If King ends up being a starter, the Packers will have to play to his strengths by matching him up appropriately.
NFL.com says: 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.
CBS Sports says: 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.
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Thank TED we grabbed this long, rangy, speedy guy. The exact guy I wanted at 29 & thought would go well before 29… We traded back, stole a 4th rounder & still got him. BONUS!
Now I don’t have to be a ViQueen fan cause Datone went to Minny
Now please get Mixon, Cook, Foreman or Kamara at running back at pick 61 & I’ll cream my pants here in Kyiv
Thank Eliot Wolf. He made that pick.
So what does this say about Rollins and Randall being the top two picks just two years ago? Not much. There’s gonna be a lot of CB’s on that roster. Maybe they will use Randall at safety now and then, where he’s supposed to be.
Exactly. Having to readdress (!!) the CB position just two years after drafting two of them with your first two picks is an embarrassing admission of abject failure. I wont blame Randall or Rollins…one was a converted safety and the other a project…..they are who they are. Its the domino effect that is the killer though. We’re stuck drafting “need”……again…..when there is impact at OL, RB, DL, & S that could help us right now. Not hating the picks just that we HAD TO pick them.
Great post DJ.
Two years ago we thought we were all set at corner. Two high draft picks, two cornerbacks. Here we are taking another corner in what essentially is the Packers first round. Optimism is a wonderful thing, but just drafting a cornerback in the draft doesn’t automatically fix a team’s secondary problems. These college players still have to prove they belong in the NFL. Maybe i’m soured by the defensive draft history of big Ted. Maybe i need to see it, to believe it.
This is all part of the process. Getting drafted is the first piece of the puzzle. The rest of it is unanswered questions. Asking a 1st year player to fix your NFL secondary is a heavy load to put on him.
With that said….i wish nothing but the best for this kid, he has some skills. Will it translate to the NFL? We will find out.
The Falcons drafted rookies with speed last year, we are doing the same thing.
Don’t believe everything the “experts” say. nfl.com is not sure he has enough athleticism. He has superior athleticism across the board. He’s more athletic than 99% of the cornerbacks coming into the league over the last 18 years! They say he has speed limitations. 4.43 40-yard speed is very fast, especially for one of his size – and faster than any of the team’s starting CBs last year. CBS Sports predicted he warranted top-100 consideration. Wrong, nearly everyone had him as a top-40 pick. They say He’ll be vulnerable to shifty route-runners. But his 20 yard short shuttle and his 3-cone drill times showed fabulous agility. He had the top time among all cornerbacks at this year’s Combine – in EACH of these drills! Well done, Packers.
It is one thing doing it in shorts in a combine situation. It is a completely other thing to do it in pads in a live game situation. I like him myself, but also realize not every prospect come into the NFL perfect and needs some coaching. Scouts aren’t just making this shit up, it is stuff that shows up on film.
Yes sir Kato….You don’t always have to take information as gospel, but you digest information from people who’s job it is to evaluate. when you go back and look at scouting reports of a player who’s been in the league a few years, that scouting report maybe off, but you’ll see they are right about a player more than their wrong.
Also, don’t forget, it’s also one thing to do it in college, it’s a far different world in doing it in the NFL. If everyone knew a player was, or wasn’t good enough to make it in the NFL, before they got there, there would never be any draft bust. That’s why i never give a drafted player credit for what he hasn’t done on a NFL field, before he can prove it. I’m not that smart, nor is anyone else.
Anyway Kato…good post.
At least he is not described as a project or a kid that was 3rd round talent taken in essentially the first round.
GO PACK GO
This is the type of corner you need with today’s tall fast perimeter receivers. Now King just needs to stay healthy, and continue to improve. I hope with Kings length I don’t have to witness the opponent completing 20 + yard wide open sideline throws when the Packers are in zone. With King being in under coverage those windows should be a lot smaller. Get him ready Whitt.
if he drinks orange juice & takes a multi vitamin he should stay healthy
I love this pick. I believe he will be a steal. A tall, athletic, and fast 6 3 corner is just exactly what we need. Now if we can get that other RB from Oklahoma, Lawson, or Beigel, I will be happy.
We should thank Eliot Wolf for this pick. He drafted this guy.