Kobe King
American football player (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kobe Laron King (born January 28, 2003) is an American professional football linebacker for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft.
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
| No. 45 – New York Jets | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker | ||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | January 28, 2003 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | ||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school | Cass Tech (Detroit) | ||||
| College | Penn State (2021–2024) | ||||
| NFL draft | 2025: 6th round, 201st overall pick | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| |||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||
| |||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2025 | |||||
| |||||
Early life
King attended Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan.[1] He was rated as a three-star recruit and committed to play college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions over schools such as Michigan and Iowa.[1]
College career
As a freshman in 2021 King tallied three tackles for the Nittany Lions.[2] In 2022, he recorded 41 tackles with four being for a loss, three pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown.[3] In 2023, King made 11 starts for Penn State, where he notched 59 tackles with six being for a loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery.[4] Heading into the 2024 season, he was named a team captain.[5] In 2024, King started all 16 games for the Nittany Lions, where he totaled 97 tackles with eight and a half for a loss, and three sacks, earning second-team all-Big Ten Conference honors.[5] After the season, he declared for the 2025 NFL draft.[5]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+3⁄4 in (1.85 m) | 236 lb (107 kg) | 31+1⁄4 in (0.79 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.63 s | 1.57 s | 2.70 s | 4.26 s | 7.21 s | 9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) | 26 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[6][7][8] | ||||||||||||
Minnesota Vikings
King was selected by the Minnesota Vikings with the 201st overall pick of the sixth round in the 2025 NFL draft.[9] King was waived on October 23, 2025 after playing 77 snaps on special teams and only three snaps on defense in his five games.[10][11]
New York Jets
On October 24, 2025, King was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets.[12]
Personal life
King has a twin brother, Kalen, who is a cornerback for the Carolina Panthers.[13]