Penn State defender Kalen King lone underclassmen corner invited to Senior Bowl
Penn State cornerback Kalen King will become the first underclassman in program history to participate in the Senior Bowl. The Detroit native is the beneficiary of a new rule that allows draft-eligible juniors to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl, HBCU Legacy Bowl, and/or the Senior Bowl. It went into effect for this all-star game cycle. King is the lone underclassmen corner attending the premiere pre-draft event, which is set for Sat., Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. in Mobile, Ala. A week of practices, interviews, meetings, and more precede the game, which is televised by NFL Network.
“Penn State’s Kalen King is the one underclassman among the corners,” NFL.com lead draft analyst Eric Edholm writes. “He has enticing upside and potentially could be the highest-drafted player of this group.”
King declared for the NFL Draft following the Peach Bowl, which he never officially opted out of until game day. He recorded 80 tackles (5.5 for loss), three interceptions, and 25 pass breakups over three seasons in State College. He and Penn State end Chop Robinson are two of 34 college football juniors who are eligible for this year’s pro selection process.
“It has truly been a pleasure playing in front of the nation’s greatest fans these last three seasons,” King posted when announcing his future plans. “There is nothing like running out of the tunnel at Bever Stadium with my brothers and competing week in and week out.
“We’ve had some great success during my time here. And, I know this program will continue to have success in the years to come. After much thought and consideration, I have decided to forego my final year of eligibility to pursue my dream of playing in the NFL.”
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Which other Penn State players are headed to the Senior Bowl?
Game organizers released a list of 120-plus players who accepted invites to the game. Some will just do off-field activities. Others will do those and practice but not play in the game. And, a third group will do all three. Besides King, Penn State will be represented in Mobile by cornerback Johnny Dixon, tight end Theo Johnson, and defensive end Adisa Isaac.
“Edge rushers with the potential to rise during the week include Penn State’s Adisa Isaac and Alabama’s Christian Braswell,” Edholm writes. “Both are explosive rushers with upside. They might be the two most toolsy rushers in Mobile.”
It’s unclear if Penn State potential early-round picks Olu Fashanu and Chop Robinson were invited. If so, they declined to attend. Neither is currently on the roster.
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