— Good play recognition. Quickly able to identify pass or run and quickly reacts to what he sees. Has the vision to see the entire field and does a good job of playing his leverage.
— Fluid in press coverage at the line of scrimmage. Able to stay square and mirror releases with the proper leverage. Shows good lateral movement and quick reaction to releases.
— Very good athlete who does a good job of sinking his hips to get out of breaks and has very good speed to run with most receivers he faces.
NEGATIVES
— Inconsistent tackler who often dives at legs and doesn't always wrap up.
— Lacks the desired strength for size and position. Can get overpowered at times and struggles to fight through bigger receivers to contest catches.
OVERALL
As a freshman at Penn State, Kalen King played in 13 games with one start. He was highly productive the following season with 21 pass breakups, which garnered him a lot of attention. However, he wasn't able to match that production in the 2023 season. He actually dipped below his on-ball production from his freshman season.
King has average height and size for an NFL cornerback. He has the speed and movement skills to be a good NFL player, but he will need to continue to improve his functional strength to be able to combat bigger and more physical receivers.
King does a very good job of sinking his hips to match breaks, but there are times where his high pad level causes him to allow separation at the top of routes. He shows the ball skills necessary to track and use the correct timing to break up passes, but he's rarely in position to capitalize on turnovers.
As a run defender, King does a good job of play recognition along with quickly reacting. He often uses his speed and agility to beat blocks in space. There are times in which he gets stoned and washed away by bigger blockers due to his below-average strength.
As a tackler, King is more than willing. He often flies up to throw his body at the legs of a ball-carrier. His inconsistency wrapping up can make him a questionable tackler at times, but his overall willingness to be a versatile run defender and blitzer gives him room for improvement in this facet of the game.
After the explosive numbers he put up during the 2022 season, King was perceived as one of the top cornerbacks in this year's draft. Although he's still among the better part of the cornerback group, his stock has leveled out a bit to the Day 2 range. He has the potential to be an NFL starter a few years into his career.
I actually love this. He was consider to be a 2nd ish rounder before the whole draft process and just kind of went wrong every chance he got. The guy might just be a gamer.
I actually love this. He was consider to be a 2nd ish rounder before the whole draft process and just kind of went wrong every chance he got. The guy might just be a gamer.
Terrible terrible terrible twelve months of film draft process and everything.
Like maybe if you didn’t see him mocked to us in the second round in September and October this is less funny. Or if you missed the weird internet bubble of backlash because his name sounds too much like Kevin King. But man, for online packers draft world, this is objectively hilarious.
I think so too. He had a great 2022 season and a bad 2023 season. Not sure why but I suspect he is still healing from something.
In some respects the fact that the Packers waited this long to draft a CB is a good sign about Stokes. If Stokes were not healthy it would be difficult to understand why pick #25 was not a CB. You can't go into a season with only Alexander and Valentine as competent corners.
I think so too. He had a great 2022 season and a bad 2023 season. Not sure why but I suspect he is still healing from something.
In some respects the fact that the Packers waited this long to draft a CB is a good sign about Stokes. If Stokes were not healthy it would be difficult to understand why pick #25 was not a CB. You can't go into a season with only Alexander and Valentine as competent corners.
He never mentioned injury. And it certainly hasn't gotten better since the fall. If anything his play declined during the draft process. He was terrible at the Senior Bowl and had a horrible combine.
Like there is proof that he can be pretty darn good and there is proof that he’s been consistently unbeatable for the past 10 months in terms of play and pre-draft process.
Like when this is all over we’re gonna get Johnny Manziel drug stories or some sort of brutal personal life. There’s nothing normal that makes sense
Rasheed Walker was another Penn State guy also had a lousy pre-draft process- dropping him to the 7th round
He turned it around. Maybe lightning strikes twice in Titletown ? Or 3 times, since Valentine also was another 7th who showed well.
So far so good after rookie minicamp, as King took snaps at both boundary and nickel corner and new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley lauded his instincts and physical style. "It doesn't matter where you were drafted, it's what you're going to do now going forward," Hafley said of King. "He's got an opportunity now to do that. Eventually you're here. Get over the fact of where you were drafted and go make the most of what's ahead."
Having a DC who specializes in coaching DBs should be a godsend for King. And landing on a team with a history of success developing 7ths and UDFAs bodes well for his chances to succeed.
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