Iowa CB Desmond King having a great 1st half

Iowa Hawkeyes cornerback Desmond King has already done plenty to get himself in position for a leap to the NFL after this season, but his resume continues to get more and more impressive.

King is having a whale of a first half against Pitt and star receiver Tyler Boyd, who has the potential to be the best receiver in this year’s draft. Despite Boyd’s physical ability and the fact that he has made some big plays down the field in this game, King has looked great, and reminds me of one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks and most underrated players — Chris Harris Jr. of the Denver Broncos.

Here’s King’s first interception of two in the 1st half against Pitt:

"Desmond King comes with an early @HawkeyeFootball interception against Pitt. http://t.co/hR3SQi0kcq— Iowa on BTN (@IowaOnBTN) September 20, 2015"

Pitt tried to get King here on a double move, and he would have none of it. He basically ran the route better than Boyd did, and played the ball extremely well and held on despite having his arm tugged on. Here’s the 2nd interception on the night:

"What’s better than one? TWO! Yes, that’s two picks for @HawkeyeFootball‘s Desmond King. Brought to you by #GrubHub http://t.co/jLH0dCgzPB— Iowa on BTN (@IowaOnBTN) September 20, 2015"

These two interceptions don’t really do justice to just how strong King has played overall in this first half. Not only is he picking off passes, but he’s knocking them away, playing great against the run, and showing off his skills as a punt returner as well.

The last time the Hawkeyes had a player who could do this many things as well as King does, he went on to get drafted by the Green Bay Packers and play a key role on their defense and special teams. That player was, of course, Micah Hyde, a phenomenal cornerback who had great ball skills as a member of the Hawkeye secondary.

Iowa fans are (rightfully) ecstatic about the way King is playing, and NFL scouts should be too. He’s showing off phenomenal ball skills and great instincts at the cornerback position, but he doesn’t shy away from contact against the run and can come up and put a hit on you. Add in his ability to play special teams, and you have a young defensive back who is looking like he has top 64 potential in this year’s draft as an early entrant.

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