Akeem King could be the Atlanta Falcons’ ace in the hole for 2016
Atlanta Falcons’ cornerback Akeem King could surprise a lot of people in 2016
Wouldn’t it be nice to see a player on the Atlanta Falcons’ defense burst onto the scene who wasn’t expected to? If you said yes, then meet second-year cornerback Akeem King.
The Falcons will be without 2015 second-round pick Jalen Collins for the first four games which will mean Atlanta will be in need for a third corner. And as of now, King is right in the mix to earn that spot with a solid summer.
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King only played 14 defensive snaps as a rookie, but one play stuck into my mind. In week 17 against the New Orleans Saints, King broke up a crucial third down play to force a punt. the Falcons went on to fail miserably on their potential game-winning drive but that’s another story for another day.
It was an extremely low sample size for King, but we all got a glimpse of what the 6-foot-3 corner can bring to the table.
It’s unclear as to what corner spot Quinn see’s King playing. Quinn has already moved Robert Alford over to the nickel spot, but with Collins serving his suspension, we will likely see Alford move back to the outside until he returns.
So this could mean King starts the season as the Falcons’ starting nickel corner. At the moment there is nobody standing in King’s way with Collins out, so it’s his job to lose heading into training camp.
It’s not very often that a team hits a home run with a seventh-round draft pick, but King very well could turn out to be just that. A home run. Quinn values tall, athletic corners and King fits that mold to a tee.
Next: Will Ra'Shede Hageman finally break out in 2016?
He is still extremely raw, but there is no doubt in my mind that he could be the Falcons’ ace in the hole in 2016. Every year there is that one player that plays way better than expected so don’t count King out.