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Kalen King NFL Draft Profile
- College: Penn State
- College Position: Boundary CB
- Ideal NFL Position: Boundary CB
- Height/Weight: 5'11", 191 pounds
- Year / Age: Junior / 21
- Draft Projection: Second round
- Where I'd Take Him: Early third round
Background
Kalen King, a native of Detroit, played his high school football at Cass Technical High School. A four-star prospect by both Rivals and 247Sports, King elected to attend Penn State after drawing interest from Notre Dame, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
King's 2022 season put him on the map as an NFL prospect. Playing opposite future NFL cornerback Joey Porter Jr., King led the Big Ten in passes defensed with 21 (third in the nation) and pass breakups with 18 (third in the country). He also grabbed three interceptions and, with the departure of Porter, entered 2023 with lofty expectations as CB1 for the Nittany Lions.
King's 2023 was inconsistent at best. After earning preseason first-team All-American honors from the Associated Press, King sometimes struggled to fill the vacancy left behind by Porter. After allowing a passer rating of 48.9 in 2022, Porter saw that number balloon to 82.4 in 2023. He also failed to notch an interception and forced only three incompletions.
King also struggled at this year's Senior Bowl. However, he reportedly possesses 4.3 speed, so he'll be a player who could benefit significantly from an impressive showing at the upcoming NFL Combine.
Kalen King at one point was considered the top CB in this years' class. Now he's slipping to day 2. My thoughts:
— Sniper1154 (@Sniper_1154) February 19, 2024
✅ Solid athletic traits
✅Very good 2022
✅Plays physically beyond size (5'10")
Inconsistent 2023
Awful Senior Bowl
Can he be CB1?#BuildingTheBoard pic.twitter.com/QDfxlC2vCm
Strengths
- Excellent ability to sink hips and drive on routes
- Has a high floor despite maybe a lower ceiling
- Willing tackler in the run game
- When he's "on," he's one of the best cornerbacks in the country. His 2023 Michigan tape and 2022 tape show an outstanding player
- Can carry vertical routes, though recovery speed can be touch-and-go
Weaknesses
- 2023 was inconsistent at best
- His ceiling might be a CB2 in the NFL; he struggled to be CB1 with Penn State at dipped without Porter opposite him
- For an average-sized cornerback, his athletic traits don't jump off the tape
- Click and close seems a step behind at times
Final Thoughts and Chicago Bears Fit for Kalen King
Kalen King is an enigma. There's an excellent chance that some team will get a steal of a player on Day 2 in the 2024 NFL Draft, considering the performance he displayed in 2022. On the flip side, given his relatively average measurables and slightly above-average athleticism, he could be a flash-in-the-pan who benefited from an NFL talent opposite him in 2022 and won't be able to live up to the next level of competition.
Even if King's ceiling at the NFL level is a CB2, that type of player still has value in today's pass-happy league. Combine that with his willingness to be a factor in the run game, and he should have no trouble getting selected on Day 2 of the draft despite not living up to the 2023 preseason hype.
Regarding a fit with the Chicago Bears, I'm not sure he'd be worth the gamble for Matt Eberflus and Co. If he were to slip into Day 3 of the draft, I think he'd be an intriguing player to target potentially, but his lack of ball skills this past season and the already-crowded secondary that the Bears boast would make him a tough fit for a team that has holes elsewhere on the roster.
Pro Comp: Slightly smaller Josh Norman
More must-reads:
- Top-five NBA Draft prospect suffers scary non-contact injury
- Cubs acquiring veteran reliever from Mariners
- The 'No. 1 overall NBA draft pick' quiz
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