King still waiting on the NFL question

LOS ANGELES — Let's not pretend that the NFL question for Desmond King is plutonium. This is a good thing for the senior cornerback and, really, not a horrible thing for the Hawkeyes.

Within 30 seconds of sitting down for interviews from the Rose Bowl on Monday, King was asked about returning to Iowa for his senior season or skipping it for the NFL draft.

'I'm still undecided at this point,' King said. 'I'm trying to focus on this game. When the time comes . . .'

King did submit his name to the NFL College Advisory Committee. It issues draft evaluations of 'potential first round,' 'potential second round' or neither, which is effectively a recommendation to stay in school. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said last week that he expected to hear about that before Christmas. That apparently hasn't happened, according to King.

'I haven't yet and I'm just waiting to see what evaluations they have on me,' King said. 'I honestly don't know. Whenever it comes, we'll see.'

King has some time. The deadline to apply for early entry into the NFL draft is Jan. 18, 2016. Six Hawkeyes under Ferentz left school early to enter the draft — Dallas Clark, Shonn Greene, Tyler Sash, Bryan Bulaga, Amari Spievey and Riley Reiff.

One more time . . .

'It's kind of 50/50 right now,' said King, who won every defensive back award under the sun this year. 'I'm thinking about staying. There's a good chance, but right now, I honestly don't know what my decision will be. It goes back and forth every time.'

King said he's leaning on his family for advice. 'It's big for me to be a part of the team, but it still comes down to what's best for my family.' Asked if he leaned on Ferentz and defensive coordinator Phil Parker, King answered, 'Like I said, it's family support. It's all about what my family feels like.'

His mom, Yvette Powell, wants him to stay, but also wants what's best for him. King would be the first college graduate on his mom's side of the family.

'That's why it's still a 50/50 chance,' King said. 'I don't know which way I could go with it. It's pretty hard.'

Again, it's still a pretty great question to have to answer. King owned the Big Ten this season with eight interceptions. He won the Thorpe Award (nation's top defensive back). He was named Big Ten defensive back of the year. In so many ways, King was a perfect fit in Parker's defense. He could cover and yet he has a physical edge to his game. Under Parker, who's sent 11 Iowa defensive backs into the draft during his 17 seasons at Iowa, Iowa always will have corners who will be asked to tackle.

'He's got great balance and great leverage. Is he 5-9, 5-9 1/2, 5-10?' Parker said. 'I think he's built for the position we use him for. I think he has great quickness and vision and anticipation of what's going on and understanding the game that puts him in position to make some good plays.'

Parker's history with King goes back to King's freshman year at East English Village Prep at the Sound Mind, Sound Body Camp. King's history with football goes into the the Detroit PAL Youth Football League, a program for boys ages 7 to 14.

So, really, King has already played for the Steelers and the Vikings.

'The Westside Steelers,' King said with a laugh. 'Same colors as Iowa and everything, black and gold.'

So, yes, that does kind of plant the NFL dream seed with kids. These PAL teams are programs with histories and websites. Before Iowa and Parker showed up, King was recruited to play for the Westside Cubs A Team.

'When you play for teams like that, especially the best ones in the Little League, they expect you to have dreams like that,' King said. 'They expect you to reach higher, dream higher and become the best you could be. I learned that from both teams I played for. I actually played for three. I also played for the Vikings, that's my favorite color purple. They were the first team I played for. Then, I moved on to the Westside Cubs and then the Steelers.'

The Cubs were one of the elite PAL team. They count Michigan and NFL stars Braylon Edwards and Larry Foote as alumni.

'Those teams expect you to reach for the next level,' King said.

King said he has 'tons' of friends in the NFL right now. He's very close to Carolina Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess. They were teammates on the Westside Cubs A.

What do his NFL friends tell him about this decision?

'They just say enjoy the process,' King said. 'The NFL isn't going to go anywhere. They say enjoy the process, but right now focus on the game.'

It's really not the worst question in the world. Defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson was asked. He laughed and said he's definitely coming back for his senior season at Iowa. Sophomore linebacker Josey Jewell was asked. He just laughed.

'That's a huge question and that's an awesome question to be asked,' Jewell said. 'I don't know if I'm that caliber yet, probably not. But if it ever did come to that, I think I would have to finish out the senior year. Where Desmond is at? I can't speak for him, but his value is pretty high right now. Whatever he does, we'll respect that.'

With the season he's had and all of the trophies and awards he's won, King was asked what's left for him to show the NFL? The Rose Bowl and the stage that it presents, of course.

'My performance in this game, that's going to show a lot, especially with the team we face in Stanford and the great players they have over there,' King said. 'The Rose Bowl is one of the best bowl games out there. It's depending on this game how everything is going to go and I think we have a good chance.'

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com