The Atlanta Falcons’ primary focus the rest of this offseason should be on building out a defense that can serve as a worthy complement to an explosive offense built around veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins.
While Atlanta could target one of the top pass-rushers early in this year’s class, or pull off a blockbuster to acquire a dominant interior pass-rush presence, the Falcons can’t afford to ignore bolstering the secondary, as well.
The Falcons have made significant investments in upgrading the offense during free agency, but to date haven’t made a marquee addition defensively.
One prospect who could provide upside, especially if he’s still available come Saturday of NFL Draft weekend, is Penn State cornerback Kalen King.
How Kalen King Fits the Atlanta Falcons
King looked the part of a first-round talent during a stellar 2022 campaign, playing opposite eventual Pittsburgh Steelers second-round pick Joey Porter Jr., but failed to match that productivity during the 2023 season.
Still, Pro Football Focus suggests King could be an ideal scheme fit for the Falcons as a Day 3 selection during the 2024 NFL Draft.
“A year ago,” Gordon McGuinness writes for PFF. “The idea that King could be available on Day 3 would have seemed impossible. But he earned just a 55.7 PFF coverage grade in 2023, tumbling his draft stock in the process. The 2022 campaign was much better, with King earning a 90.6 PFF coverage grade and recording a combined 12 interceptions and pass breakups.”
If King can recapture what helped him play at a consistently dominant level in 2022, the Falcons’ secondary would be getting a legitimate playmaker in 2024.
Kalen King NFL Draft Scouting Report
Last season, King produced 29 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss, but just a pair of pass breakups, before running the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds, throwing some cold water on his NFL Draft stock.
“King was consistently rocked out of position by route breaks over the first two levels,” NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein writes of King. “And didn’t find the ball frequently enough with his back to the passer on deep shots. He doesn’t have the fluidity to just mirror and match routes, so he’ll need to get back to playing more physically from press to slow down route momentum.
“King is more than capable of tilting 50/50 balls in his favor when he’s in position, but finding positioning in man or zone coverages as a pro could be very challenging.”
As Pro Football Focus points out, King still held opposing quarterbacks to a paltry 82.4 passer rating when targeting him, one year removed from passers logging a meager 48.9 rating when throwing in his direction.
Teams, including the Falcons, will need to decide whether King is the player he put on film in 2022 or if 2023 is a harbinger of what might be to come for the former Nittany Lion at the NFL level.
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