Justin Thomas King (born May 11, 1987) is an American former professional football cornerback. King was selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft.[1] He played college football at Penn State University.
.JPG) King in 2010 | |||||||||||||
| No. 21, 31 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 11, 1987 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Monroeville (PA) Gateway | ||||||||||||
| College: | Penn State | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2008 / round: 4 / pick: 101 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Early life
editKing was a highly rated high school football recruit playing football for Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. King was the Gatorade Pennsylvania player of the year as a senior. He was rated as highly as the top cornerback recruit in the country in 2004, and the top football recruit in the state of Pennsylvania. He played in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl with fellow Nittany Lion Derrick Williams. King's stepfather, Terry Smith, was a receiver for Penn State from 1988 to 1991, and is currently a Penn State football coach under James Franklin. He was also an accomplished sprinter on the track and field team for two years.
College career
editKing arrived at Penn State as one of the most highly touted prospects of that season. He made an immediate impact as a true freshman, playing on both offense and defense in 2005. That season, he averaged 12.6 yards per rushing attempt, racking up 277 yards on 18 carries.
By 2006, he was the team's starting cornerback, playing all thirteen games. His first career interception came versus Ohio State and snapped eventual Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith's streak of 153 attempts without an interception.[2] King was named second-team All-Big Ten by the conference coaches that season,[3] and was named to the 2006 Academic All-Big Ten team.
Following his junior season, King declared himself eligible for the 2008 NFL draft, forgoing one year of college eligibility. King, an academic All-Big Ten selection, finished his degree in Letters, Arts, and Sciences in two and a half years.
Professional career
editPre-draft
editDespite questions over King's decision to declare himself eligible for the 2008 NFL draft following his junior season, King made a strong showing at the NFL Scouting Combine. His 4.31-second time in the 40-yard dash was the fastest time for a defensive back, and second-fastest of all prospects, second only to running back Chris Johnson of East Carolina.
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1.80 m) |
192 lb (87 kg) |
4.31 s | 1.40 s | 2.46 s | 4.31 s | 6.91 s | 37+1⁄2 in (0.95 m) |
9 ft 7 in (2.92 m) |
14 reps | 24 | ||
| 3-cone and vertical from Penn State Pro Day, all others from NFL Combine. | ||||||||||||
St. Louis Rams
editKing was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL draft.[4] He signed a three-year $1.52 million contract that included a $376,000 signing bonus.
King suffered a torn ligament in his big toe in the first preseason game versus the Tennessee Titans on August 8, an injury that would keep him out for the entirety of his rookie season.
Indianapolis Colts
editOn June 8, 2012, King was signed by the Indianapolis Colts[5] The Colts released King from their roster following their Week 5 win against the Packers.
Pittsburgh Steelers
editOn December 18, 2012, King was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers. On June 6, 2013, King was placed on the injured reserve list. On July 2, 2013, he was released by the Steelers.[6]
NFL career statistics
edit| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2009 | STL | 15 | 7 | 36 | 33 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | STL | 8 | 0 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | STL | 12 | 12 | 58 | 47 | 11 | 1.0 | 4 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 51 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | IND | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | 19 | 116 | 99 | 17 | 1.0 | 7 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 51 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
References
edit- ^ Sam Ross, Jr. "PSU's Connor picked by Panthers, WVU's Slaton picked by Texans". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- ^ "GOPSUSports.com". Archived from the original on February 25, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
- ^ "GOPSUSports.com" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
- ^ "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
- ^ McIntyre, Brian. "Justin King signs deal with Indianapolis Colts". NFL.com. Retrieved June 8, 2012.
- ^ Bryan, Dave (July 2, 2013). "Steelers Release CB Justin King From Injured Reserve On Tuesday". SteelersDepot.com. Retrieved August 18, 2013.