Getty D'Eriq King is one of the top quarterbacks in college football.
Houston quarterback D’Eriq King is a bit of a mystery when it comes to how he projects to the NFL. It is fitting for King given the narrative for much of his career has been doubts. King started his time at Houston as a wide receiver before shifting back to quarterback during his sophomore season.
Despite playing quarterback in high school, there were doubts about King’s viability as a college quarterback given his slight 5’11” and 195-pound size. King played his first full season as a college quarterback in 2018, but there are still questions about his height impacting his NFL draft stock. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller noted he still has questions about King as an NFL prospect, but Kyler Murray could help his case.
B/R draft expert Matt Miller has reservations about King’s potential at the next level because of his size but adds, “Kyler taught us to never say never.” If Murray has a strong rookie season for the Arizona Cardinals, it could help pave the way for a quarterback of a similar size.
NFL teams continue to evolve in how they evaluate quarterbacks and are much more fluid when it comes to players who have a smaller stature. If Murray has a successful rookie season with the Cardinals, it will do nothing but help King’s chances of climbing draft boards. Given King plays in the AAC, he does not always get the exposure as some of the other top quarterbacks in the country.
Heading into the 2019 College Football Season, King Is Likely Fighting to Be a Day 3 NFL Draft Pick
King is not ranked on most draft analyst’s big boards, but this could all change if the Houston quarterback has another strong season. Heading into 2019, King is likely fighting to be a Day 3 pick in the 2020 NFL draft, but will look to prove he belongs as a pro quarterback. King has the numbers to show he is for real.
Last season, the Houston quarterback threw for 2,982 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 63.5 percent of his passes for the Cougars. King also rushed for 674 yards and 14 touchdowns. All this came in just 11 games as King’s season was cut short in November after suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee, per Houston Chronicle. King has to continue to show that he can be a bonafide passer from the pocket in addition to hurting teams with his legs.
King Has Some Work to Do in 2019 to Impress NFL Teams
The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs noted King is a mix of Lamar Jackson and Vernon Adams. This means King has “to put on one hell of a display in 2019 to garner significant interest in the 2020 NFL Draft,” per Crabbs.
And while King is mobile, he’s missing the key explosiveness that made Murray such a dynamic open field threat — despite being a similarly tiny package. At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, the NFL has exactly one example of drafting a quarterback of such stature high — and that happened last year. The odds of the NFL being willing to suddenly flip the switch and completely change their process to tiny, athletic quarterbacks are not great. Not great at all.
The Houston Quarterback Was Named to the Senior Bowl’s Watch List
Given this is King’s senior season, this is his final chance to impress NFL teams to prove he has what it takes to compete at the next level unless he considers becoming a grad transfer. One bit of good news for King is he was named to the Senior Bowl’s Watch List prior to the season. Every January the Senior Bowl features the top senior NFL prospects in the country, and if King can make one of the rosters it would give him an additional opportunity to impress NFL front offices during a week of practices in Mobile.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski noted during the offseason that the Chargers make some sense as a possible landing spot for King. Sobleski feels King is worth a late 2020 draft flyer, and it would allow the Houston quarterback to learn the game from Philip Rivers. King also offers the Chargers a drastically different style than the veteran quarterback. We will see if King can do enough this college football season to become a legitimate NFL prospect.