Iowa's Desmond King wore black and gold during his college years, but the highly-regarded cornerback could envision himself in purple in the NFL.
King was one of the top cornerbacks at last week's Senior Bowl, and he told multiple reporters that he feels like the Ravens are a perfect fit for him.
"The Ravens stood out," said King, who spoke with many teams and is projected as a first- or second-round pick.
"They're a defensive team. And just having a bond with one of the scouts that I talked to, he knows what kind of expectations I look for when I step on the field every time. He knows my position coach."
King could have been in the NFL last season. He had a breakout junior year in which he notched eight interceptions and won the Jim Thorpe award given to the best defensive back in college football.
But King surprised many and opted to return to school for another year. He said his first priority was always to get his education, and coming from a single-parent home with four boys, he took pride in getting his* *degree as the only one in his family to attend college.
King's senior season didn't feature as many eye-popping stats. He had three interceptions, including one in an Outback Bowl loss to the Florida Gators. Still, that gave King a whopping 14 career interceptions.
The Ravens are always on the prowl for more playmakers in their secondary. While Baltimore went from worst to first in the league in interceptions last season, only five interceptions came from cornerbacks: Tavon Young (two), Jerraud Powers (two), Will Davis (one).
So how was King so productive with takeaways?
"It's just having a knack for the ball and being in the right position," he said. "That's something that I really worked on is ball skills, instincts, anticipation."
What's holding King's draft stock back are some of his measurables. He tipped the scales at just 5-foot-10, 206 pounds at the Senior Bowl. That's an inch taller than Young, but not an ideal height to play outside. It's also nearly 30 pounds heavier than Young.
King had some trouble keeping up with some of the faster wide receivers at the Senior Bowl, and was beaten deep on a couple passes. That led some evaluators to say his best NFL fit might be safety, especially given his ball-hawking nature.
The Ravens are also looking to add youth at safety, so if King could play both positions, that could be a plus for him in Baltimore. Ravens Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta said King could play outside, inside or at safety.
"He's a very smart player, he's got very good eyes," DeCosta said. "He's not probably as tall as you would like, but he's a physical tackler. He's got great ball skills, he's got a history of interceptions. He's a really fine player."
