Paul Bretl | 7/27/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Addressing the media prior to Sunday’s fourth training camp practice, Matt LaFleur heaped praise on Packers’ second-year cornerback Kalen King. There weren’t clichés or coach speak either, like you may hear around the NFL during this time of the year–LaFleur really likes what he has seen from King in the early going of training camp.
“I think he’s had a pretty impressive three days, especially coming off the wrist surgery, or whatever,” LaFleur said. “So, just continue to stack those days and take advantage of those opportunities. But I think he’s shown a lot. I know he’s not the biggest guy, but he’ll throw his body around in there and shows a lot of toughness.”
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Out of 257 draft picks, King was the 255th selection by the Packers in the 2024 NFL draft out of Penn State. Just one year prior, during the 2023 offseason, there were a number of draft analysts who projected that King might be a first-round pick in 2024 after he allowed a completion rate of just 45%, forced nine pass breakups with three interceptions, and was named a second-team Walter Camp All-American.
However, during King’s final season at Penn State, his completion rate when targeted sky-rocketed, his ball production dipped significantly, and not helping was the 4.61-second 40 that he ran during the pre-draft process. All of a sudden, King nearly went undrafted.
“I feel like last season was just more of a learning opportunity for me to just really take everything from the vets,” King said at his locker on Sunday of his rookie season. “Take everything from the coaching staff, the feedback, and just use that as a catapult for bringing myself into this year. I have bigger expectations for myself in this season and this time around. So I just use everything that I learn last year and try to build on that.”
As a rookie, King wasn’t only navigating the jump that comes with transitioning from college to the NFL level, but he was making a position change as well, moving from outside cornerback to the nickel. According to PFF’s tracking data, of King’s 1,317 defensive snaps at Penn State, only 34 came from the slot.
While both positions fall under the cornerback umbrella, they are vastly different. An outside corner is on an island, but there is more time to react. At the nickel, everything happens much more quickly, can be more physical, and not to mention that being able to help out in the run game is a must.
“I would just say the details,” King said of moving to the nickel. “Like coming from college I never played nickel. To coming into the NFL and just learning nickel and just me being able to see what I can do. And now I feel like I’m way more confident in it. I know much more of the details and I know what’s coming.
“So I feel like just that whole year last year just getting acclimated to it and being at nickel, at corner, I feel like it made me smarter and it made me more ready for it.”
The experience gained over the last year, both in on-field reps at the nickel position, along with the comfort of operating in Jeff Hafley’s defensive scheme, has contributed to the confidence that King is playing with in his second season.
But off the field, learning from veteran players like Xavier McKinney, King has also changed how he prepares, whether that be how he takes notes in meetings, goes through walkthroughs, or his nutrition.
“I felt very good,” said King about his offseason and current play. “I feel like this training camp compared to last year, I’m way more attentive, I’m way more intentional, and I’m just more comfortable out there, especially with last year me learning a new position in nickel. I feel like this year has been me honing in on that, being more confident, and I feel like that’s paying off.”
Javon Bullard and Nate Hobbs have shared reps at the nickel position with the first team defense during training camp, but King has been the go-to nickel option with the second unit.
King would spend all of last season on the practice squad, but he was elevated for the Packers’ road matchup against Detroit in early December. King didn’t see any snaps during that game on defense or special teams, but that experience and that feeling is something he wants to recreate every week during the 2025 season.
“It was great,” King said of the elevation. “Just me having the opportunity to be a part of the team. Dress with those guys, walk out the tunnel with those guys, warm up with those guys. It was amazing but fast forward to this year, I want that to be every week, not just this week.”