2017 NFL Draft Kansas City Chiefs Scouting Report: Desmond King

The Kansas City Chiefs secondary has some question marks for 2017. Adding a stud defensive back like Desmond King could help fix that.

The secondary for the Kansas City Chiefs went through some serious growing pains in 2016. In today’s NFL, you need a stable of reliable corners who can play on an island. The Chiefs have Marcus Peters who can fill that role, but it gets questionable after that. Iowa’s Desmond King may be able to help fill out that needed stable of corners.

This shouldn’t be read as a condemnation of the rest of the KC cornerbacks. Steven Nelson is a talented player in short area situations. However, he can struggle if he gets isolated on the outside. Terrance Mitchell stepped up a lot last season and has Chiefs fans excited. However, there isn’t much to his resume and he is a free agent after this season.

The rest of the cornerback group for the Kansas City Chiefs is less impressive. DJ White has potential, but some clear struggles to overcome. Kenneth Acker and Phillip Gaines both appear to have limited value to the Chiefs and are not guaranteed to make the roster this year. That means there is plenty of room for another corner on this roster.

Desmond King – DB – Iowa

After the 2015 season, Desmond King was largely considered a first round lock and one of the best players in the upcoming draft. However, as often happens, opinions have changed a bit over the past year. King is now projected as a day two pick in 2017 NFL Draft, which might play out very well for the Kansas City Chiefs.

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Desmond King is a solid technician on the outside who shows excellent understanding and anticipation. King is more quick than he is fast, which allows him to get into position to make plays. The Iowa corner also possesses solid ball skills and can capitalize on getting that good position.

However, the most impressive aspect of Desmond King is his versatility. Scouts and analysts are arguing over whether or not King should play corner or safety. Frankly, I think both sides are right. King possesses the talent and skill to play both positions and essentially work as a utility defensive back. That should be especially useful in Nickel or Dime packages.

The knock on Desmond King comes down to his lack of speed. It remains to be seen how fast he will run at the Combine, but on tape he does look slow. That seems strange when you factor in that he was a quality kick and punt returner. However, there were times when he would get beat by a faster receiver and was unable to keep up.

Next: NFL Draft: Kansas City Chiefs Scouting Report Central

Being able to limit opposing pass attacks would be a huge boost for the Kansas City Chiefs. Being able to do it without having to make huge adjustments would be even bigger. That’s why adding a top flight cornerback early in the draft makes a lot of sense for the Chiefs. John Dorsey was clearly committed to it last year. We’ll see if that is the case in 2017.