According to various reports that surfaced Thursday afternoon, the Lions may be in talks with former Georgia running back Caleb King in the NFL’s upcoming supplemental draft.
Prior to committing to Georgia, where he played a season with Lions QB Matthew Stafford, he was the 25th best player in the nation according to Scout.com and the Journal-Constitution called King “one of the most heavily recruited and scrutinized players in the nation,”. He received plenty of big time scholarship offers from Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana State, Notre Dame, Tennessee, and Southern California. However injuries and academic problems ended up derailing his college career at Georgia.
After losing Mikel Leshoure for the season with a torn Achilles and with Mike Bell and Jerome Harrison being somewhat ineffective so far, could King provide that spark at the backup running back position?
Now despite King’s potential, experts aren’t sold on him, including Wes Bunting of the NationalFootballPost.com who believes King isn’t in the same league as Leshoure.
Bunting also filed this report on King…
“Possesses good thickness through the mid-section and thighs, but looks thin in the calves. Showcases good patience when asked to set up blocks both on the perimeter runs and between the tackles. However, is a much more comfortable runner when asked to run downhill. Runs with more authority, confidence and better forward lean downhill, allowing him to sink his hips when asked to make a defender miss and can be sudden in tight areas. But, allows his pad level to rise on miss-direction plays, gets a bit tentative as a runner, slows his feet and can be brought down easily inside. Is a naturally balanced back who keeps his feet under him and can side step defenders. But, doesn’t have a great first step and seems to only have one gear to his game. An average athlete who struggles to find a burst once he makes a man miss.
“Isn’t a real aware or coordinated blocker. Doesn’t seem to quickly decipher info, slide his feet and pick up blitzing linebackers. When he does recognize it, he drops his head, doesn’t see what he hits and isn’t real patient into blocks. Has a tendency to whiff and/or can be easily shed. Looks natural in the pass game, can create out of the backfield and has some savvy setting up his routes when asked to create vs. man. But again, not real explosive and struggles to create significant separation.
“Impression: Needs to run downhill in more of a power scheme at the next level in order to be effective. An average athlete that looks at best like a reserve only. Nothing real dynamic about him and I don’t think I would have him on my draft board, but could be worth a late round pick on some boards.”
The Lions have to approach any supplemental pick with caution for the simple reason that if they do get a player like King in the supplemental draft then they’ll have to forfeit a pick in the actual NFL draft the following year. For instance if the Lions get King in the second round of the supplemental draft then they will have to surrender their second round pick in the NFL draft come April.
If you ask me, no supplemental player is worth that risk.
Source: Mlive.com, NationalFootballPost.com