Highest-graded CBs in the red-zone in 2019:
▫️ Kevin King – 90.0
▫️ Tre’Davious White/Marcus Peters – 87.5
▫️ Patrick Peterson – 83.5 pic.twitter.com/NtkqnKGDiR— PFF (@PFF) June 29, 2020
Turns out, being long and athletic is a great combination for a cornerback in the red zone.
According to Pro Football Focus, Green Bay Packers cornerback Kevin King earned the highest overall grade among NFL cornerbacks in the red zone during the 2019 season. In fact, King was the only cornerback to grade out at 90.0 or higher within the scoring area.
His dominance inside the 20-yard was at least partially responsible for the Packers being so good in the red zone on defense last season.
Of King’s five interceptions in 2019, two came in the end zone, including a game-saving pick of Kirk Cousins late in the fourth quarter of Green Bay’s Week 2 win over the Minnesota Vikings. By our count, he also broke up or was in primary coverage on six other incomplete passes and made three tackles against the run inside the red zone.
On his interception of Cousins, King used his speed to range across the backline of the end zone and catch up with Stefon Diggs before skying to haul in Cousins’ pass. He also caused incompletions on passes into the end zone to Courtland Sutton, Alshon Jeffrey and D.J. Moore.
King stands 6-3, runs 4.43 in the 40-yard dash and has a 39.5″ vertical leap, giving him the ideal combination of physical attributes to contest passing plays in confined areas like the red zone. While he can lose track of smaller, quicker receivers at times, King’s length and leaping ability can really smother the type of receivers that use size and athleticism to win in the scoring area. It’s probably not surprising King’s highlight play in college was a one-handed interception in the end zone, and it’s even less surprising he’s becoming a nuisance in the red zone in the NFL.
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