Packers: Kevin King is the breakout candidate of 2018

A recent FanSided article has Kevin King as the Green Bay Packers’ biggest breakout candidate for the 2018 season.

When thinking about a potential breakout candidate for the Packers this season, a few names come to mind.

Aaron Jones is one of them. The second-year running back put together a couple of excellent performances as a rookie, but also dealt with injuries. If he stays healthy, he could have a big season.

Maybe it will be safety Josh Jones or one of the rookie wide receivers.

Conor Dorney of FanSided believes it will be Kevin King. And King is an excellent choice.

Dorney listed the biggest breakout candidates for each team in the NFL. Here’s what he wrote about King:

"“The former Washington Husky possesses the type of rare size/speed combo that is coveted out of the cornerback position in today’s NFL game, and King will certainly see an increase in his snaps from a season ago. One only has to look at King’s outstanding Combine results to see just what kind of athlete the Packers have on their hands.”"

It’s hard to disagree.

King played pretty well as a rookie, but he still has a lot of areas to improve. King was playing through a shoulder injury for a large part of the season, and it eventually led to him being placed on injured reserve.

New general manager Brian Gutekunst has been busy trying to improve the secondary. He used his top two draft picks on cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson. He also re-signed Davon House and brought back Tramon Williams three years after he left Green Bay.

If King makes a second-year jump and stays healthy, the Packers’ secondary will suddenly look a lot stronger.

Assuming he’s fully healthy, King will likely start Week 1 alongside Williams. It would be unfair to expect too much from rookies Alexander and Jackson right away.

The Packers will be relying on a number of young defensive players to step up this season, including edge rushers Vince Biegel and Reggie Gilbert.

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King, the team’s top draft pick in last year’s draft, is another player to watch.

He could be the Packers’ breakout star in 2018.