2021 NFL Draft Prospect: D’Eriq King, QB, University of Miami
D’Eriq King’s journey did not go as originally planned. The Texas native was hoping to finish his career out at the University of Houston, but things changed quickly.
After D’Eriq lost his father, he had to make a decision. He took his talents to South Beach and has not looked back. I am pretty sure his father would be proud of him. D’Eriq has given the Hurricanes life again.
D’Eriq King is a special player. He was a four star quarterback in high school and was ranked 202 overall on ESPN coming out of high school. His biggest knock has always been his size. You cannot measure his heart size though, because it bulges out of his chest.
Before coming to Miami, King was one of the most dominant players in Houston history. He finished with 78 touchdowns, 50 passing and 28 rushing. He also threw for 4,925 passing yards and rushed for 1,421 rushing yards. He only started 22 games folks, that is some pretty damn impressive numbers.
This year, King is leading the Hurricanes and looks great. The Hurricanes are 3-0 right now and have already beat up on Louisville, UAB and Florida State. D’Eriq has already thrown for 736 yards and has 6 passing touchdowns to zero interceptions. He has also added 157 yards on the ground and 1 rushing touchdown.
Smaller quarterbacks are not out of the norm. I mean the last three years in a row we have had a quarterback drafted that is 6′ or smaller. D’Eric King is 5’11 but he can kill you with his feet and his arm. He reminds me of Tyrod Taylor. He has a bright future.
NFL Draft Diamonds Scouting Notes
I do not look at height when evaluating film of a quarterback. I know I am supposed to, but here is the thing, Kyler Muray is small and he looks pretty damn good. The MVP in the NFL right now if you ask me is Russell Wilson, he is not big. Baker Mayfield is smaller and the Dolphins just spent the 5th pick on Tua. When you look at the NFL smaller quarterbacks are getting a shot, and I think some team is going to be blessed when they draft D’Eriq King. I would not be shocked if he ends up at the Senior Bowl and has his name called in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft. – Damond Talbot, Owner, NFL Draft Diamonds
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com