Cornerback Desmond King displayed the kind of ball skills throughout his college career that can’t be taught, hauling in 14 interceptions for Iowa. The Los Angeles Chargers bet on those skills Saturday, selecting the former Hawkeye in the fifth round with the 151st pick of the 2017 NFL draft.
Chargers like turnovers and drafting Desmond King is a good way to get more
The ball-hawking former Iowa defensive back recorded 14 interceptions in an accolades-filled collegiate career.
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King made a name for himself with a prolific 2015, punishing quarterbacks who dared test him by recording eight interceptions and breaking up 13 passes as Iowa enjoyed one of the finest seasons in program history.
He earned a boatload of accolades — consensus All-American, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the Jim Thorpe Award, bestowed upon the nation’s best defensive back— but he turned down an almost certain first-round NFL draft selection that spring to earn his degree in Iowa City, fulfilling a promise to his mother in the process.
Sure, his numbers dipped in 2016, but that is more a result of teams avoiding his side of the field than any significant on-field decline.
The questions now are how effective he can be as a cornerback, in what sort of role, or if he’s best suited sliding over to safety. King’s FBS production was unparalleled, but his size (5’10, 201 pounds) and athletic ability dropped him to the middle of a stacked class of defensive backs.
King may be the draft’s most dangerous defensive back — as long as the Chargers can find a place for him
The Iowa standout has an innate ability to read quarterbacks and understand where the ball’s going and how to get there. Quarterbacks throwing to targets he was covering had just a 42.3 passer rating last fall, thanks to his ability to break on the ball and crash through a receiver’s hands.
He spots the ball well and adjusts on the fly to underthrown or overthrown passes, making him a threat on traditional routes and broken plays alike. He closes out his coverage with a quick burst to undercut receivers and make big plays.
He’s also a heady tackler who offers plenty of value near the line of scrimmage. King has a compact frame and is strong enough to shed receiver blocks with few complications. That frees him to make big stops on screen passes and other tosses outside the tackle box.
He has good hip movement that added value as a special teams player despite his lack of elite speed or quickness. The Iowa corner averaged 11.5 yards per punt return in his final two seasons with the team.
If he’s that good, why did he fall to the 151st pick?
King’s ability to create turnovers was a godsend against NCAA offenses, but that skill may not translate to the next level because of questions about his athleticism. He spent most of the previous summer trying to answer those questions.
Abdominal and hip injuries kept him from running the 40-yard dash at the combine, but a 4.51 time at Iowa’s pro day helped assuage some of those concerns. While that’s solid, his struggles to contain the NCAA’s top wideouts at the Senior Bowl suggests he won’t be a true No. 1 cornerback in the league.
King’s aggressive style means he bites hard on double moves, necessitating help over the top against faster, shiftier receivers. He’s much better in zone coverage, and his ability to track quarterbacks and move to the ball may necessitate a shift to safety in the NFL. He’s a versatile player with unteachable gifts, but he may be more suited to impress in a supporting role rather than as a top guy — resulting in his drop down the draft board.
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