2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Kalen King, CB, Penn St
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Kalen King, a cornerback out of Penn State. He is from Detroit, Michigan, and was a 4-star recruit from Cass Technical High School.
King began his collegiate career in 2021 for Penn State. As a freshman, he appeared in only 9 games but had solid production regardless. In his limited playing time, he put up 15 solo tackles, 6 assists, 1 tackle for loss, 5 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble.
In 2022, as a sophomore for the Nittany Lions, he racked up an impressive 23 solo tackles, 7 assists, 3 tackles for loss, 3 interceptions, 18 passes defended, 1 fumble forced and 1 fumble recovered. A massive stat line for a sophomore cornerback.
His junior season in 2023 was the final one of his collegiate career. He racked up 20 solo tackles, 9 assists, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 2 passes defended in 12 games. While his senior year was nowhere near as impressive as his sophomore campaign, it was still solid.
Measurables
Kalen King” class=”wp-image-6230″/>NCAA Statistics
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2021 | Penn State | Big Ten | FR | CB | 9 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | |||
| *2022 | Penn State | Big Ten | SO | 13 | 23 | 7 | 30 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| *2023 | Penn State | Big Ten | JR | CB | 12 | 20 | 9 | 29 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | Penn State | 58 | 22 | 80 | 5.5 | 0.0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- Is a tenacious defender who is very willing to play physically, even against bigger receivers.
- Has excellent route recognition and is consistently great at shadowing even the best receivers.
- Is a top-tier ball-hawking defender with elite skills on the ball.
- Exceptionally quick and agile. He closes on the ball with excellent speed and physicality.
Weaknesses
- His lack of size is sub-optimal and could cause him issues against the NFL’s biggest receivers.
- He can be penalty-prone at times due to his tendency to use two-hand jams in press coverage.
- Has a delayed reaction time that often leaves him at a disadvantage that requires his speed to make up for.
- Is prone to getting beat by route-running technicians, especially those who are crisp in their cuts.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Late Round 2
Ideal Landing Spot: Detroit Lions
Kalen King Penn St” class=”wp-image-3646″/>Here is another Day 2 cornerback I would love to see land with the Detroit Lions. The Lions are in desperate need of young, skilled corners and the Detroit native is a perfect fit.
King fits the physical, smash-mouth Dan Campbell brand of football and would be a welcome addition to their defense as a rookie. He is fast and physical and is exactly what Detroit needs. He also could be available to them in the second round which is even more ideal since it would allow them to use their first-round pick on the defensive line.
Out of all the cornerbacks that could be projected to the Lions, this is easily my favorite. King just seems like a Dan Campbell type of player.
Post-Draft Analysis
Pick 7.255 to the Green Bay Packers
King
