When the Pittsburgh Steelers landed Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. with the first pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the hope was that they were getting a long-term starter on the outside that they could plug and play for the next several years. One year later, Pittsburgh appears to be in the market for another corner to play opposite Porter, and Penn State has another highly-touted prospect, Kalen King, who is hoping to hear his name called somewhere in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.
King played opposite Porter for the Nittany Lions for the last three seasons. The true junior and Detroit native burst onto the scene last season as a sophomore, posting 30 total tackles, 18 pass breakups, and three interceptions. He didn’t fair as well in 2023 in the stat department, failing to record a pick while logging just five pass breakups in nine games played. Still, King has put his skill set on tape and is looking to showcase those traits this week in Mobile at the Senior Bowl.
I asked King about Porter and the relationship those guys shared at Penn State and since Porter got drafted by Pittsburgh, to which King responded ravingly about his former teammate in Happy Valley.
“Ah man, Joey, that’s my dawg,” King said to me at the Senior Bowl following Tuesday’s practice. “His whole process going through the same process I am, I was all eyes, all ears asking him what was happening. I was watching everything, so I feel like that, and me just calling him and texting him for advice. He’s always got my back and always giving me tips and gems to apply to my game and that’s my dawg right there. I just talked to him last week, so we be kicking it all the time.”
King measured in at 5110, 189 pounds, shorter than Porter coming out of college, but possessing more quickness and better change of direction skills in a smaller package. He was a projected first-round pick coming into the 2023 season but had his struggles throughout the year, particularly against Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr., who got the better of King throughout their matchup.
I then asked King about the Steelers and Porter’s new team, being just a couple hours away from where he made himself into one of the top corner prospects in the draft class.
“They are a very good program,” King said. “They made it to the playoffs this year. They’ve got a lot of good vets, and they’re a really good team. I had an interview with the Steelers yesterday, and it went well, in my opinion, so I’m looking forward to getting to know them more.”
Given that Porter ended up getting drafted by Pittsburgh, it’s easy to see why King kept up with the Steelers’ season as he tuned in to watch his former teammate play as well as keep in touch with him throughout the season. Pittsburgh managed to rally late in the year and make the playoffs but dealt with plenty of turnover on defense as they had pending free agent Levi Wallace struggle at times on the outside while Patrick Peterson kicked in a fair amount at the slot, as well as, seeing time at safety due to injuries.
With Wallace being a free agent and Peterson looking long in the tooth, Pittsburgh should look to add another young, talented cornerback to the room via the draft. This class has plenty of talented prospects, but Pittsburgh could look to go back to the well and snag Porter’s former teammate in King to reunite the two former Nittany Lions again in Pittsburgh. I concluded my interview with King by asking him what it would be like to play opposite Porter in Pittsburgh next season, joining forces with his former college teammate once again in the pros.
“Ah man, that’d be amazing,” King said. “It would be just like college again, I feel like.”
