No. 36

Pick by SB Nation Justin King Cornerback Penn State

After selecting DT Glenn Dorsey in the first round, the New York Jets, with their second-round selection, have selected Penn State cornerback Justin King.  The pick was made by SB Nation's two AFC East bloggers, Matty I of The Phinsider and Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings.  Brian, who has cheered against the green and white for the vast majority of his 22+ years, is here to explain the selection:

  Wow.  Only a select few words describe how awful it makes me feel that I'm about to write something positive about the New York Jets.  Gang green?  Ew.  Just... ew.  I'll need a mantra to get me through this.  Got it!  The Bills swept the Jets last year... the Bills swept the Jets last year...  That's better.  We (Matty I and myself, that is) decided to select cornerback Justin King for the Jets in the second round.  Why?  A few reasons.

First and foremost, Eric Mangini is a defensive coach, and he spent the majority of his off-season upgrading his front seven with additions such as DT Kris Jenkins and LB Calvin Pace.  (Marshawn Lynch remains unafraid.)  Last year's first-round pick, CB Darrelle Revis, is an excellent young player who should be a cornerstone for the Jets secondary for the next decade.  Outside of Revis and safety Kerry Rhodes, however, the Jets' secondary is rather pedestrian.  Matt Miller realized this as well as we did, which explains why he ripped the Glenn Dorsey selection to shreds after the Jets left literally every cornerback on the board in the first round.

Justin King is an interesting prospect.  He's very athletic and has outstanding speed (4.31 in the 40), and has played all three phases of the game in his time at PSU.  He's a bit raw as a cornerback, but he also has enough talent to become one of the better corners selected in this year's draft.  There are other cornerbacks that could have fit here (VA Tech's Brandon Flowers chief among them), but King's potential was intriguing to us, and we feel he'd be a natural (reach) selection for the Jets.  Thus, King became the Jets' pick.  It's a boom-or-bust decision, to be sure, but if it booms, Bills and Dolphins fans will be upset with us that we gave Mangenius the idea in the first place.
 
Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

Another potential steal early in round two. King is the ultra-athletic corner the Jets want to pair next to Darrelle Revis, who looks like a Pro Bowler in waiting. King will be what Justin Miller never was, reliable in coverage and able to help as a return man. There are some character questions with King, but New York has a solid franchise in place that will keep him in check. A great match for the player and team.

Grade: A  ::  Justin King Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining: 1.  LB Jerod Mayo, 2.  Kentwan Balmer, 3.  LB Shawn Crable, 4.  RB Jamaal Charles, 5.  WR Earl Bennett

The Atlanta Falcons, who have already added two blue-chip prospects in OT Jake Long and QB Joe Flacco in this mock draft, are once again on the clock, thanks to some clever wheeling and dealing with the Oakland Raiders.  The Falcoholic will be making the pick this afternoon, so stay tuned!