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2008 NFL Draft Good Decision: Justin King, CB, Penn State Turns Pro

Jan 13, 2008 – 10:35 PM
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Michael David Smith

Michael David Smith %BloggerTitle%


A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft
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Penn State junior cornerback Justin King has decided to enter the 2008 NFL draft, and that's a good decision. In fact, if the NFL would let sophomores enter the draft, it would have been an even better decision for King to have turned pro last year.

In the photo, King is leaping in front of Ted Ginn to intercept a Troy Smith pass in 2006. King had an outstanding game against Ginn, a game that would have a lot of observers thinking, "If Ginn is a top 10 pick, King must be, too."

It doesn't quite work that, way, though. A year ago King definitely would have been a first-round pick, but he struggled through a disappointing 2007 season, with a nagging shoulder injury always causing him trouble. King isn't likely to be a first-round pick in 2008.

But if he had returned to Penn State in 2008, he would have been running the risk of that shoulder getting worse, and of slipping even further down draft boards. King, who caught a lucky break when Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins chose not to enter the draft, did the right thing by turning pro.

See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.
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