Rob Demovsky, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Packers' rookie Kevin King 'definitely showed up' in up-and-down debut

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- As reporters approached Kevin King's locker after his first preseason game on Thursday night, Davon House politely shooed the crowd away.

The veteran Green Bay Packers cornerback had a few things he wanted to go over with the rookie while the game was still in fresh in their minds.

Yes, it was a true learning experience for King, the 33rd overall pick in the draft, and House (who did not play because of a hamstring injury) wanted to make sure his young teammate got everything out of it that he could.

"I got to watch him every snap, and I'm pretty sure he'll want to go back home and watch the film," House said afterward. "But overall I like what we've got in the kid."

There was plenty of good and bad for King, who played the entire first half of his NFL debut in Thursday's 24-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He gave up a 38-yard touchdown pass when he lost receiver Mack Hollins on a scramble drill and then missed a chance to tackle Hollins before he got to the end zone. But he also made a team-high four tackles and stood up tight end Billy Brown near the sideline to allow linebacker Blake Martinez to come in and strip the ball for a fumble.

"I missed a tackle, though, that led to a touchdown," King said. "It's give-and-take. I made tackles, too. It feels good getting your hat on people, but it's the thing that you miss that resonates a little more. There's things to clean up."

King's first chance to play came in the nickel package. In that alignment, Damarious Randall moved into the slot. However, after Randall sustained a concussion on the opening drive, King also moved into the base defense as one of the two corners.

At this point, it looks likely that the 6-foot-3 King will have some role in the Packers' top defensive packages. Whether he's one of the starters in the base 3-4 defense will depend on how quickly he can learn from his mistakes -- and perhaps how quickly House and Randall come back. House did not suit up because of the hamstring injury, and Randall will be in the concussion protocol.

"I thought Kevin had some excellent form tackles, but I'm sure there are going to be some plays that he can learn from," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "I thought he definitely showed up."

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