Who is Penn State’s best player — right now — heading into a very promising 2023 football season, finally just 16 days away?
You may think it’s Olu. He’s Top 7 on most 2024 NFL Draft boards. It could be Chop, lean and mean and today’s version of Micah Parsons. Or, Abdul Carter. Or even Nick Singleton. And no, not Drew Allar.
Maybe…just maybe…Kalen is king.
In my opinion, cornerback Kalen King looked the best of them all during Penn State’s very public 11-on-11, first-team vs. first-team, iron-sharpens-iron public scrimmage Saturday night.
True, offensive tackle Olu Fashanu was sitting it out. Guard Landon Tengwall was out (and has been AWOL for awhile — including Allar’s recent social media group shot of his OL getting Bose headphones).
Plus, King was going against essentially a rookie quarterback and mano a mano against a WR1 — KeAndre Lambert-Smith — who caught just 16 passes in his first 11 games of 2022.
And it was raining.
But wow, the King reigned.
He looked every inch of a chiseled, confident-but-not-cocky, smart, quick and physical cornerback who has all the makings of becoming Penn State’s first-ever defensive back to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.
(PSU DB NFL all-time second-rounders: Kim Herring, pick 58, Baltimore, 1997; Bryan Scott, pick 55, Atlanta, 2003; and Joey Porter Jr., pick 32, Pittsburgh, 2022.)
Senior draft analyst Charlie Campbell of Walterfootball.com – a respected draft website owned by Penn State alum Walter Cherepinsky, aka @walterfootball, who started the site while a PSU student — assesses King’s prowess better than I can:
“King is an impressive player who does everything well. The first trait that jumps out about King is his instincts. With fabulous anticipation, he puts himself in position to make big plays and disrupt completions. King has very good vision to read the eyes of the quarterback and displays impressive feel and route recognition. Aided by his instincts guiding him, King stays in position and is able to fly to the ball with good diagnosis skills.”
THE 2024 NFL DRAFT: A KING’S RANSOM
Outlet Projection Scouting Report Athlon 1st round “Checks every box from a physical standpoint. Competitive, intelligent, tough.” Bleacher Report 1st round
20th pick, Saints“Saints are looking for quality corner to play on the other side of Marshon Lattimore.” CBS Sports 1st round
24th pick, LionsJordan Reid, ESPN 1st round
25th pick, Lions“Undersized for some teams, but like Denzel Ward: blankets receivers, slams throwing windows shut.” NFL Draft Buzz late 1st round
29th pick“Rated No. 4 at CB.” Pro Football Network 1st round
12th pick, Bears“A defensive coach’s dream. The CB craves violence. It’s clear that he is a film junkie.” The Draft Network 1st round
25th pick, Lions“Physical-hitting, sticky cover corner. Plays w/patience, toughness, competitiveness.” The Draft Wire/USA Today 1st round
13th pick, SteelersWalterfootball.com 1st round “Plays bigger than his listed numbers. Willing tackler. A gritty defender who will fight hard.”
SMARTS AND SKILLS
King is more than instincts, if I can say. He’s savvy, intelligent, a student of the game and also a good student in the classroom. Tough, but genuinely likeable as well. A quintessential Penn State archetype.
At 5-foot-11 and 191 pounds, King is not big. His twin brother, Kobe, is much bigger — at 6-1 and 246 pounds. Which is what you would expect from a Penn State linebacker who has all it takes to start.
Both are in their third season at Penn State. It is likely Kalen’s last season. Kobe figures to have two more. They’re different in other ways, that’s for sure.
Kalen: “Kobe is more responsible than me. It’s been like that our entire life. I lose things really quick. I forget things really quick. He’s more laid back. I’m more hyperactive. I want to talk all day. I want to move all day. And he is more chill.”
Kobe: “Oh man, he’s faster, he’s stronger. He’s a little goofier, I’m a little more laid back. I’m like uniquely funny and he’s kind of goofy funny. We’re both cool. I think we’re kind of the same. People like us. We talk to people a lot. We’re friendly.”
ABOUT THAT HOMEFIELD
The twins from Motor City do have this in common: They will be returning home when they face Michigan State in the final regular season game of the year, in a 7:30 p.m. nationally-televised game by NBC indoors at Ford Field the day after Thanksgiving. In Detroit‚ their hometown.
It won’t be the King twins’ first time on Ford Field. As kids, their youth team played a championship game inside the NFL stadium. Kobe actually played. Kalen spent the game on the sidelines. They are looking forward to it like you can’t believe.
“I didn’t know I didn’t win,” Kobe admitted. “So this year I’m winning there.”
Here’s what Kalen told me, a bit unbelievable, if truth be told: “My last time at Ford Field, I was not good enough to play. I didn’t even play. It was my last year of playing little league football before I went to high school and I didn’t touch the field. They thought other people on that team were better than me…”
Kalen paused, for effect. And I openly laughed at the notion, TBH.
“…but that wasn’t the case,” Kalen said, flatly but honestly. “I was better. Having an opportunity to go there again and me knowing I am going to be on the field this time, I’m pretty psyched.”
Happens a lot when you’re The Best. Come Nov. 24, it’s entirely possible that no one on Ford Field will be better than Kalen King.
