Raiders 2017 NFL Draft Prospect: CB Kevin King

With the Oakland Raiders showing some interest in Bay Area native Kevin King, could he be a primary target come draft day?

The Oakland Raiders were found investing heavily on the cornerback position this past offseason. They were able to lock up David Amerson to a four-year extension, as well as luring Sean Smith away from the division rival Kansas City Chiefs on a deal worth nearly $40 million.

Both players were paid premium money to be solid contributors going into the 2016 season. To say Smith and Amerson were underwhelming would be putting it nicely. Although Pro Football Focus showed them love, they did not simply pass the eye test from a film standpoint.

In many mock drafts, you’ll notice that on more than one occasion, the Raiders were mocked to take a cornerback in the early rounds. While the upper-echelon corners will most likely be gone when the Raiders select, there will still be some quality names on the board.

A name that Raider fans should get familiar with would be Kevin King. Although choosing King in the first round would be a bit of a reach, given King’s size and speed combination, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him end up in Silver and Black. Best case scenario, Reggie McKenzie could trade back, pickup an extra pick or two and still take King.

If one thing is clear, it is that this draft class has a ton of quality cornerbacks, and King is most definitely in the mix to be selected in the first two rounds of the draft.

Let’s take a closer look, and see how good of a player King really is.

Production

Kevin King played in 48 games in his collegiate career, and accumulated 164 total tackles, 6 interceptions, 22 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries for the Washington Huskies.

King was apart of one of the best secondaries in all of college football, playing alongside high profile draft prospects Sidney Jones and Budda Baker. Along with playing in a great secondary, King made a name for himself by getting an All PAC-12 honorable mention in both 2015 and 2016.

Measurables

King is apart one of the better cornerback classes we have seen in recent memory, but what differentiates him from other corners would be his rare frame. King is listed at 6’3″ and weighed in at an even 200 lbs.

At the combine, King showed his athleticism by posting an impressive 39.5 inch vertical (2nd among cornerbacks) and also showed his some top-end speed by running a 4.43 second 40-yard dash. King also ran the fastest 20-yard shuttle, 3-cone drill, and 60 yard shuttle out of all the cornerbacks at the combine.

Strengths

The first thing you notice about King would be his physique, which I alluded to earlier. You do not come across many players playing the cornerback position that are built like King. He would be someone you could line up against a tight end, and feel confident that he will win that matchup.

Another strength you could consider would be his overall length. King is a cornerback that can get his hands on high thrown balls, and beat the receiver at high pointing the ball.

Because King is so massive, he has been praised for his physicality when going up against receivers. Here he is seen trailing the receiver, but because of his above average length, he is able to make a play.

One thing we should note would be that King has experienced playing every single secondary position. From safety, all the way to slot cornerback. King would bring a ton of versatility to any defense.

Weaknesses

One point of weakness that has come across when evaluating Kevin King would be his tackling. He has been known as a corner who tries to ‘arm-tackle’ more often than you would like. If anyone has watched the Raiders defenders, you will notice they love ‘arm-tackling’.

Ted Nguyen of Just Blog Baby also pointed out in his breakdown of King that he has made bad habits of grabbing receivers and being called for pass interference. If I am not mistaken, there was a cornerback the Raiders drafted in 2013 who would do the same.

Prediction

There will be a number of cornerbacks the Raiders are going to be able to pick from when their turn comes in the draft. It would not surprise me one bit if Kevin King is dawning the silver and black for the 2017 season.

The real question here is that will King be picked in the first or the second round? King might just be a late first rounder or an early second round pick if you ask me. I am feeling a bit bold, and I will say that if King is drafted by the Raiders, it will be because Reggie McKenzie traded down, and selects him late in the first round, or snags him early in the second round.

Next: Raiders 7-Round Mock Draft

I for one would not be opposed to this scenario depending on how the Raiders get compensated for trading down in the draft.