From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we create scouting reports for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day Three selections and priority undrafted free agents Today, a scouting report on Penn State CB Kalen King.
KALEN KING, CB, PENN STATE (JUNIOR) — 5110, 191 POUNDS.
SENIOR BOWL INVITE
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Kalen King | 5110, 191 | 8 3/* | 30 7/8″ | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.61 | 1.54 | 4.16 | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’2″ | 37″ |
THE GOOD
— Has acceptable height and size at the position
— Showed versatility playing both outside and in the slot
— Would often travel with the team’s best receiver in coverage
— Possesses good play speed, burst, and explosiveness
— Can press at the line of scrimmage
— Has the athleticism to run step-for-step with receivers down the sideline
— Willing and capable tackler that will come up in run support
— Will play the ball through the receiver’s hands
—Opportunistic when in off coverage, looking to jump the route for big plays
— Competes at the catch point with the receiver to force incompletions
THE BAD
— Doesn’t have great length for an outside cornerback
— Lacks suddenness in his feet to make quick transitions in coverage
— Can get turned around easily in coverage by nuanced route runners
— Will get grabby at the top of the route or if the receiver has a step of separation
— Feet pause at times, leading to delayed reaction and separation being created
— Isn’t very comfortable in a backpedal and transitioning forward on comeback routes
— Tends to play on his heels rather than his toes
— Will give up the inside release too often with feet stalled
— Can be smoother in his transition from backpedal to opening up with his hips
— Play dropped off from 2022 to 2023 when he became the top corner to target
BIO
— Junior prospect from Detroit, MI
— Born January 28, 2003 (age 21)
— Twin brother, Kobe, is also a member of the Penn State football team
— Majoring in recreation, park and tourism management
— Two-time team captain at Cass Technical High School
— Two-time all-state, also played basketball and ran track
— Committed to Penn State and appeared in 13 games in 2021, making one start and tallied 23 tackles (15 solo), one tackle for loss, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble
— Appeared in all 13 games in 2022 and made 30 tackles (23 solo), three tackles for loss, 18 pass breakups, three interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery
— Started nine games in 2023 and made 21 total tackles (15 solo), one tackle for loss, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble
— Second-team All-Big Ten (2023), Third-team All-Big Ten (2022)
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Penn State has rolled out numerous draft prospects in recent seasons, and CB Kalen King appears to be next in line for the Nittany Lions, ready to make that transition from college to the pros. King starred at Cass Technical High School in Detroit before making the move to Happy Valley, quickly becoming an impact player on defense for Penn State. He had a strong 2022 season, posting a whopping 18 pass breakups and three picks opposite of current Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr.
When you pop in the tape from 2023 on King, you see many of the qualities that made him a projected first-round pick coming into the fall. He is a good athlete, having the speed to run with receivers on the outside in coverage. Check out this rep by King against Michigan WR Roman Wilson and how King quickly opens up his hips after Wilson breaks inside, making the transition to stay sticky in coverage as the quarterback is flushed from the pocket, leading to a coverage sack.
King is also a capable tackler in space, having the aggressive demeanor to come up in run support or sniff out the screen game. Watch King quickly come downhill in run support in this first clip against the Wolverines, cutting down the runner by his legs near the line of scrimmage. In the second clip, watch how King works off the block on the screen pass to the running back in the flat, quickly closing the space as he gets off the block and makes the tackle behind the line for a loss of yards on the play.
However, when putting King’s 2023 tape next to his 2022 tape, there are plenty of concerns that pop up from his play this season. His technique showed a lack of refinement as he continually gave up separation at the top of routes due to poor footwork and a tendency to play more on his heels than on his toes. Watch this rep against Marvin Harrison Jr. where he and King line up in the slot and how Harrison breaks to the outside as King gets caught with his feet together, shuffle stepping, ultimately crossing his feet over and reaching out to grab Harrison as he gets the easy release outside. Fortunately for King, Harrison wasn’t able to reel in the catch.
Still, there were plenty of examples against Ohio State where King was easily beaten at the top of the route, like in this two-play sequence where King gives up back-to-back completions to Harrison and Julian Fleming, with Harrison getting King to trial him from the snap in the slot, getting an immediate release inside. On the second rep, Fleming gets into King’s chest on the outside as King grabs Fleming but gets sloppy with his feet, allowing Fleming to get the inside release for the completion, where he turns upfield to get the first down.
There are plenty of instances where it looks like King is off-balance in his backpedal and struggles to make the transition from backward to forward or breaking out to the side to stay sticky on the top of routes. Watch this rep against Harrison again and how King starts to stumble as he gives up the easy inside release, leading to a seamless completion from the quarterback to Harrison over the middle.
King also has a bad tendency of getting grabby when he feels that he’s initially beat in coverage, leading to potentially getting pass interference calls. That’s what happens in this clip against Michigan, where King is tasked with covering the tight end in heavy personnel who runs up the seam, beating King inside as he starts to stack the defensive back vertically. King panics and runs into the tight end’s chest before the ball arrives, failing to get his head around as he keeps the receiver from completing the catch, but gets flagged for the obvious pass interference penalty.
CONCLUSION
Kalen King is a highly-touted prospect who has played against some of the best competition in college football and has the makeup of a potential starting cornerback in the league. However, he didn’t look like the projected first-round pick he was touted to be this past season as he dealt with various technical and consistency issues. He looked like a different player who was believed to be possibly better than his former teammate when the two shared the field together at Penn State. He will need to clean up some of these issues and see the ball production return to warrant earning a starting job as a rookie.
When coming up with a pro comparison for King, Jaylon Johnson came to mind as another potential first-round corner who fell to Day Two back in 2020, getting drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round. Johnson and King share similar builds, athletic profiles, and skill sets, and Johnson had to prove that he could develop into a quality full-time starting cornerback at the next level, managing to be named a Pro Bowler this past season in his fourth year in the league.
King has the traits to get there and has good tape to back it up in 2022, but that same player must be the one we see more often in the league and not the version that looked lost at times this past season. The Pittsburgh Steelers must find another long-term answer at cornerback opposite of Joey Porter Jr., and they could choose to go back to the well at Penn State and select King to reunite the Penn State defensive backfield. A first-round pick appears rich for King at this juncture, but a pick somewhere on Day Two may be the sweet spot for King if Pittsburgh is interested in adding another Nittany Lion to the secondary.
Projection: Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.1 – Rotational Player (Fourth Round)
Games Watched: Senior Bowl (2024), vs Michigan (2023) at Ohio State (2023), vs Utah (2022)
