-- After the Green Bay Packers invested both of their first two picks in the cornerback position in last month's draft, it's easy to fall victim to the hype of two young, promising newcomers.

It's also easy to forget the Packers spent their 33rd overall pick in last year's draft on another cornerback -- Kevin King.

The 6-3 cornerback whose rookie season was plagued -- and eventually ended -- by a shoulder injury practiced in limited fashion on Tuesday in one of the Packers' two public OTA sessions this spring.

King, who was reportedly troubled by that injury since his freshman year at Washington, had successful surgery on what was believed to be a labrum tear that required him to wear a sling almost exclusively throughout his collegiate and NFL career.

"I wasn't worried about it last year," King said on Tuesday. "I feel good, I went to the best surgeon in the world -- Dr. Andrews -- and he got me right, so I'm good."

After being shut down for two of his final three games in 2017 before being officially placed on injured reserve in December, King immediately sought Dr. James Andrews to successfully complete the operation. His "limited" status in Tuesday's practice may have been purely out of precaution.

In just King's five starts, he flashed with play-making ability. Even when lined up opposite Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones in week 2 when King saw extended action.

Now, he has less urgency to push himself through the burden of a nagging injury and ever feel like he's forced to play in an uncomfortable situation. Simply because the Packers are shape-shifting a trio of cornerbacks that has the potential to be one of the league's best.

Along with No. 18 and No. 45 overall picks, Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson, King isn't the only one the Packers are expecting big things from in 2018. However, as a second-year player, his jump is hovering closely into the realm of mandatory as opposed to a couple of rookies.

King's focus is on improving in the "mental aspect" of his game, along with grasping the foreign terminology that comes with learning a new defense after the Packers hired their new defensive coordinator, Mike Pettine. 

"Just learning playing above the shoulders, learning offenses more and making it a chess game with all of the match-ups you can play against the offense," King said. "That kind of eliminates who you're going against really."

King's primary instructors will be Joe Whitt Jr., now the Packers' defensive pass game coordinator, and Jason Simmons, who is in charge of commandeering the secondary.

But the learning doesn't start and end with the coaching staff. Having a veteran foundation in Davon House and Tramon Williams -- both of which were signed to new deals in Green Bay this offseason -- helps with such a young unit.

"I see guys like Tramon [Williams] come in, he's taught me so much more than I've even thought about. I'm always picking up on things, that's how you get better in this league. Everyone else around you is always getting better, so you have to get better."

The three cornerbacks have spent defensive meetings in the front row together, as well as extended time afterward going over their teachings. House, who played in Green Bay since being drafted there in 2012 through 2014, was signed last offseason to a one-year deal.

Williams, on the other hand, was signed by the Packers mid-way through the 2006 season and was out the door in 2014 along with House. 2018 will be his first campaign back with the team he won a Super Bowl with in 2010.

Not only did Williams quietly play at a top-tier level last season in his brief stint with the Arizona Cardinals, but the Packers would be getting far more of a bargain than the two-year, $10 million dollar deal they inked him for if he can be just as effective in the classroom.

"Those guys are at the spots where I want to be. I'm just soaking in as much knowledge and as much information as I can from them. They know a lot about the game and a lot about how to do it at a high level for a long period of time. Besides the football stuff, they're great guys."