King going Pro

According to Rivals.com and Scout.com Justin King has decided to skip his final season of eligibility and turn to the NFL. What does this mean for Penn State?

Can Lydell Sargeant step up? He lost his job to AJ Wallace, after getting burned by Ohio State, among others. Now, with Wallace at one corner, will Sargeant get the nod? I don't see any glaring standouts on Penn State's depth chart to take over the empty slot. Knowledge Timmons has a great shot, if he can shmooze Joe Paterno enough. He has blazing speed, and has done well on special teams. Outside of Timmons, though, it's a toss up.

Will the coaching staff move Tony Davis back to corner? Davis was a solid cover man in 2006, and a better tackler than King. His move to safety in 2007 was a questionable call at best, and the jury is still out. His apendectomy clouded any view into his abilities at the position, but with guys like Nick Sukay and Chaz Powell in the lineup, why not put Davis back at his old corner spot?

What if King goes much later than projected? What will that say about Penn State, if King has a bad showing at the combine or on draft day? This program has a good reputation--Curtis Enis, Blair Thomas, Michael Haynes and others aside--for producing solid NFL contributors. But with the recent troubles in recruiting, it would not help to have someone like King become a draft day flop, regardless of what happens during his career.

King finished his Penn State career with 90 tackles, three interceptions, 23 pass breakups, 24 passes defended and a fumble recovery.

Those aren't first-round stats to me. But college quarterbacks stopped throwing his way in a hurry. In the pros, they won't care who he is, and that will be his chance to shine. Come up with a few picks in practice, and he could wind up seeing time early. That is, if he works hard enough.

But who can really blame King for his decision? Granted, I think he needs another season, but not to develop any further, or gain speed and bulk. He needs another season to quiet his critics. Had he come back for his senior season, he would have had the best defensive front since 2005 to work with. That would give him more of an opportunity to play his game. However, can he really develop any further, playing the soft zone on every down? In the NFL, man-coverage is the name of the game, and that's where King belongs. He has to be given the chance to use his speed. Penn State didn't do that.

Good for you, Justin King. Now make Penn State proud.

I'm no expert on how the NFL drafts its players--they don't exactly hit a homerun on every pick. So, here's what CFN had to say:

Justin King, CB Penn State
Projected: 2nd to 3rd round
Good or bad move? Having already graduated, he's ready. After coming to Penn State as a top receiver/defensive back prospect, he moved from offense to defense after his freshman season and became one of