Former Penn State cornerback Kalen King was selected No. 255 overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 2024 NFL Draft. King was the third-to-last selection of the draft and the eighth Penn Stater selected on the day.

Coming out of Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan, King was a four-star recruit when he committed to Penn State in 2021. King played in nine games in his freshman year, amassing 21 tackles, five pass deflections, and one forced fumble.

In his sophomore season, King started all 13 games for the Nittany Lions, racking up 30 tackles, three interceptions, and 18 pass deflections and snagged an interception off of Utah’s Cameron Rising in the Nittany Lions’ 35-21 Rose Bowl victory over the Utes. King’s efforts earned him 2022 All-Big Ten Third Team honors.

With the departure of his secondary partners Joey Porter Jr. and Ji’Ayir Brown, King was touted as one of the top cornerbacks for the Nittany Lions heading into his junior year. A poor showing against Ohio State started a downward trend for the once-first-round projection. After being one of Penn State’s best players, King fell below nickel corner Daequan Hardy as a draft selection. King finished his junior year with 29 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and two pass breakups.

King became the second Nittany Lion to get drafted by the Packers after quarterback Sean Clifford was selected in the fifth round of last year’s draft. King was the final Penn Stater drafted in 2024, though several may yet earn undrafted free agent contracts.