Kevin King is Back, But Won’t Be Rushed

Due to an NFL rule that prohibits rookies from participating in OTAs while their school is in session, the Green Bay Packers’ top draft pick, Kevin King, hasn’t been in town since rookie orientation.

He returned to the Packers on Tuesday and will be participating in the team’s minicamp, which is very light on veteran presence.

Coach Mike McCarthy said King won’t be pushed, however.

“You have to be realistic. He’s going to practice in the fundamental periods today. We’re going to bring him along at a pace, see how he does and then we’ll talk about tomorrow’s practice and the same for Thursday. I don’t think it’s smart, regardless of who the player is, to just throw him right out there and think he’s going to pick up where he left off in the rookie orientation camp. So he will work in the fundamental areas.”

That’s actually an interesting approach, due to one small point. We’ve heard the Packers expect King to start this year.

Plenty of other guys will have something to say about that. However, King is the most athletic cornerback the Packers have. If he can handle the mental part of the game, he likely will be a starter at some point in 2017.