Tavarres King Scouting Report: NFL Outlook for Georgia WR

Tavarres King

Denver Broncos

Fifth Round: 161st Pick

Tavarres King's college career didn't go quite as planned, but he still has the potential for a solid NFL career. Read on to find out why. 

Strengths

King has a long stride that covers lots of ground. At times it doesn't even look like he's running, but there he is, striding past another unsuspecting safety on his way to paydirt. 

He adjusts naturally to the deep ball and looks extremely smooth when making the transition from catching the football to running with it. 

Weaknesses

His smooth style only translates to vertical routes. He lacks the fluid agility to go horizontally and can appear uncoordinated in that respect. 

As will be covered below, his inconsistent hands will also weigh him down on draft day, allowing him to slide out of the first few rounds. 

Intangibles/Character

There was an arrest in 2010 that showed some immature judgment, but little else comes up on King. Doing something stupid while drinking is a common occurrence in college. I'm not condoning such behavior, but the lack of incidents afterwards leads me to believe that he'll be fine. 

Furthermore, the dedication to the weight room paid off, as he put up 11 reps of 225 pounds at the combine. 

Tools

King stands only 6'0" and weighs a slender 189 pounds with 33" arms and 9.5" hands. 

Release

The strength he gained in the weight room should pay off as he takes on the bigger, stronger defensive backs of the NFL. His long-ish arms should give him another advantage to keep the corners from getting into his body.

Hands

As mentioned above, King doesn't bring in the ball often enough. It's usually the easy balls that he drops, meaning he probably just needs to work on his concentration as opposed to his catching. 

Route Running

He has a natural gait that gets out of cuts smoothly. However, he lacks the ability to cut sharply on intermediate and short routes. 

After the Catch

He isn't a natural running back with the ball and can seem hesitant about making cuts. He does a decent job of finding seams to flow through, and will fight for that extra yard. 

Scheme

King was the deep threat for the Georgia Bulldogs, as his 19.1-yard average would attest (according to www.sports-reference.com).

Future Role

King will continue to be a complementary deep threat at the next level, likely as a No. 3 receiver who can line up on the outside or inside. 

Team/Round Fits

Jacksonville Jaguars (5.135)

Detroit Lions (5.137)

New York Jets (5.141)

Washington Redskins (5.154)

Houston Texans (5.160)