Penn State cornerback Kalen King will follow former Nittany Lions teammate Joey Porter Jr. into the NFL after he was drafted Saturday by the Green Bay Packers in the seventh round. He was the 255th of 257 players drafted overall, missing Mr. Irrelevant status by two choices. He also was the 36th cornerback selected.
King was the eighth Penn State player drafted over three days, giving the Nittany Lions five or more for seven consecutive years — the longest streak since 1978-1984.
King (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) was among the most decorated and accomplished cornerbacks in the nation in 2022 when he was named to All-America teams by three outlets/selectors (second team, Walter Camp Football Foundation; third team, Pro Football Focus; and honorable mention, Phil Steele).
With teams throwing away from Porter, who is approaching his second season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, King recorded 18 pass breakups and three interceptions in 2022. He also had 30 tackles (three for a loss), a fumble recovery and forced fumble.
His 2023 statistics fell off to only two pass breakups and no interceptions, but he still remained a solid tackler with 29 (1 1/2 for a loss). After the season, he was named second-team All-Big Ten.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.