Kobe King

Linebacker · Penn State

A Penn State tackling machine whose rookie year took him from a Vikings sixth-round pick to a Jets waiver claim.

Kobe King spent four years starting at linebacker for Penn State before the Vikings drafted him in 2025. His rookie season didn't go as planned in Minnesota, but a waiver claim sent him to the Jets, where he is looking to carve out a bigger defensive role.

★ Second-team All-Big Ten, 2024

★ 200 career tackles at Penn State

Path to the league

The Minnesota Vikings selected King in the sixth round (No. 201 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Penn State. He was waived by Minnesota in October 2025 and claimed off waivers by the Jets the same week.

Career highlights

King appeared in 46 games for Penn State and finished his college career with 200 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble and four pass breakups. His best season came in 2024, when he racked up 97 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks en route to Second Team All-Big Ten honors. He shares a professional football path with his twin brother, Kalen King, a seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers.

2025 season recap

King's rookie season was limited to a special-teams role with the Vikings, appearing in five games with 77 special-teams snaps and just 3 defensive snaps before his release. After the Jets claimed him off waivers in late October, he worked to earn a foothold on New York's linebacker depth chart to close out the year.