Kalen King Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

School: Penn State

Class: Junior

Position: CB

HT: 5’11

WT: 190 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #80

Background: Kalen King was a 4-star cornerback out of Detroit, Michigan. King attended Cass technical High School with his twin brother, Kobe, who is a linebacker. At Cass Technical, Kalen was a two-time All-State player and was a team captain for those two seasons. King was a top-10 cornerback while also running track and lettering in basketball for Cass Tech. King and his brother Kobe committed to Penn State over Iowa, Minnesota, and Syracuse amongst others.

College: King had a limited, but consistent, role in the Penn State secondary as a freshman in 2021. He appeared in all 13 games, starting in 1 of them. As a sophomore in 2022, King was opposite of Joey Porter Jr., the two formed an intimidating duo for any opposing offense. King was selected to multiple All-American Teams as well as the All-Big 10 Second Team. King was third in the nation with 21 pass break ups. He was the ultimate disrupter. Having Joey Porter Jr. on the other side of him, teams were forced to throw his way, which is when he made them pay. 2023 was the year that saw Kalen King become the top cornerback for Penn State. King really struggled to be a lockdown cornerback on his own. His production took a dip while his opponents’ production against him increased.

Strengths: Kalen King is a versatile defensive back. On obvious running plays, he crowds the line of scrimmage and plays as a blitzing defensive back in a sub package. King can go one on one with top wideouts, leaving some of the opponents’ best weapons on an island. He can also play high safety when his team elects to play soft zone coverage. He has a feel for both man and zone coverage. King has quick reaction skills. These are on display when receivers make cuts at the top of their routes. King can cut on a dime and stay in stride and within striking distance to make a play on the ball if his matchup is targeted. He also can make plays behind the line of scrimmage with excellent awareness and physicality to bring the ball carrier down or just disrupt the pocket.

Weaknesses: King’s biggest downfall is his size. While he is not too small, his arm length is not where it needs to be for a boundary corner in this era of football. Due to the lack of size and length, a move to nickel cornerback or safety is not out of the cards. Another point of emphasis for King must be his inability to shed blocks. Block deconstruction has been a problem for the entirety of the 2023 season for King. If a blocker gets their grip on King, he is taken out of the play or put on his back.

Conclusion: While Kalen King is widely regarded as a top cornerback in this class, a position change may be in order to see his potential fulfilled at the next level. He has tools to succeed anywhere in the secondary, but it is up to him to see where these tools will be best utilized. Ultimately, I would like to see him as a slot/nickel cornerback.

Scheme Fit: Scheme Versatile

Ideal Role: Nickel

Best Team Fits: MIN, PHI, SEA

Player Comparison: Mike Hilton

Player Grade: 78.3