Justin King left Penn State early to play in the NFL and he is on his way toward achieving that goal, though he knows he has some work left to do.
King is not considered one of the top cornerback prospects in the draft -- Scouts, Inc. has him ranked No. 11 -- and is projected as a borderline second-rounder. But he was at the NFL Scouting Combine at RCA Dome over the weekend hoping to improve his stock by displaying his overall athletic ability, size and speed -- he is expected to run the 40-yard dash in the 4.3 range.
King's decision to leave school a year early was not a reckless one. It was part of a plan set in motion while he was still at Gateway High School. King graduated early from Gateway, then enrolled at Penn State a semester before the rest of his class. He was able to finish his degree in letters, arts and sciences in 31/2 years, graduating in December.
"I think it was a big thing to get my degree in three years so I had the option," King said. "My parents always told me that when you have your education you have more options; get that done and then you can go play in the NFL or go back and play college football. It all has worked out the way I kind of planned.
"I did some research. I entered my name [with the NFL underclassman advisory committee] and they told me I'd either be a second- or third-rounder, I can't really remember. At the end of the day I had to make a decision and I just didn't feel like going back for another season would make a big difference."
King, who is 6 feet 1, 190 pounds, said the decision to leave early was not an easy one. He said it helped that he received plenty of support from his parents and from Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who told him to follow his heart.
"Joe was fine when I told him," King said. "He was telling me of course he wanted me to come back but that was a selfish thing and I had to do what's best for me and that he'd have no hard feelings if I left. I really respected him and [defensive coordinator] Tom Bradley for taking that approach."
King, who led Penn State last season with 15 pass break-ups and 17 passes defended along with two interceptions, has good size for a corner but is considered a little light for his height. He admits that he needs to work on becoming a more physical player as well as his ability to backpedal.
He said part of the challenge for him, and other Penn State defensive backs, is that the cover-3 scheme the Nittany Lions play requires them to be more, in his words, "shufflers" than "backpedalers" and that they play a lot more zone coverages than man.
Those are some of the things he has been working on at Athlete's Performance Institute in Phoenix, where a number of top prospects go to prepare for the combine and pro days at their schools. King trained with players such as Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and West Virginia receiver Darius Reynaud.
King said he is looking forward to the challenge of playing against NFL receivers -- he laughed and politely declined when asked which receivers he is looking forward to facing -- but he said he already has played against NFL-caliber receivers in the Big Ten.
"Santonio Holmes was probably the best," King said of the Steelers receiver who played at Ohio State. "He was one of the better receivers in the country. I thought I handled myself well. Ted Ginn was a speed guy and then there was [Tennessee's Robert] Meachem, who was kind of a freak just with how big he was, how fast he was and he ran great routes.
"But now there's going to be more guys just like them, and I'm going to work to continue to get better to compete at that next level."
NOTES -- Today is the final day for the Combine. ... The fastest 40 time so far was by East Carolina running back Chris Johnson, who ran it in 4.24 seconds. ...West Virginia fullback Owen Schmitt benched 225 pounds 26 times, tied for third among running backs, and receiver Darius Reynaud did 20 reps, which was tied for third among receivers. Pitt offensive lineman Mike McGlynn did 30 reps and was one of only eight linemen to do at least 30. Michigan's Jake Long and Ohio State's Vernon Gholston each did 37 reps. The top jumper was Auburn running back Carl Stewart, who had a 39-inch vertical leap and the top standing broad jump, 11-2. ... Penn State quarterback Anthony Morelli reportedly had a solid, but not spectacular, workout Sunday.
