The excitement leading up to the draft whithers away by the end of Friday night. Saturday, rounds four through seven, are guys most fans have never heard of. In rounds six or seven, teams are looking for special teams contributors or bodies to add depth. The Green Bay Packers may have grabbed the guy with the highest upside, pick 255, in the seventh round of the draft.
Kalen King’s College Production at Penn State
As a true freshman, King played in 13 games and ended the season with 23 tackles, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble.
He had a breakout sophomore season. He played in 13 games and made 30 tackles, 18 pass breakups, three interceptions, and a forced fumble. The Walter Camp Football Foundation named him second-team All-America, and PFF named him third-team All-America. He Led the Big Ten in passes defended and pass breakups.
In his junior season, he played in 12 games, making 29 tackles but only two pass breakups. He was voted as an All-Big Ten second-team honoree.
Playing corner is no easy task in the NFL, and confidence is a key factor in performance. Ryan Downard, the Packers’ defensive backs coach, will have to find that elite level of play from his sophomore year.
Kalen King Ready to Earn a Spot for the Green Bay Packers
In April of 2023, after the draft was complete, mock drafts started coming out for the 2024 draft. Kalen King was coming off a monster sophomore year and was a projected top-15 pick. He was considered the best corner in the country. With a down year and testing poorly at the combine, he almost ended up undrafted.
When asked about the draft, he said, “The longest three days of my life, the most stressful three days of my life, the most emotional there days of my life. I’ll never forget that feeling & I feel like that’s only gonna make me go harder.”
Kalen King talked about last year’s seventh-round pick, Carrington Valentine, and said, “It shows it can be done, and I got plans on being a Green Bay Packer.”
How King Will Fit With the Green Bay Packers
Kalen King mentioned that Jaire Alexander is one of the defensive backs he has watched film on. He said Jaire reminds King of himself, saying, “He just approaches everything like a dog. He’s just a dog; I like dogs.”
This Packers team will not be lacking “dogs” coming into the 2024 season. New Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley looks to bring the energy and elite level of play of the heavy draft capital defense.
King can play inside and outside. The Packers’ outside corners are currently Jaire Alexander, Carrington Valentines, and Eric Stokes. King may have the best chance at playing time in the slot.
The Green Bay Packers and the world have seen Kalen King’s upside, but it’s up to the Packers coaches to bring it back out of him. If the Packers are able to coach King back to form, they may have made the best value pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
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