GREEN BAY — Derrick Ansley didn’t want to get ahead of himself, and he didn’t want to jinx himself, either.

At the same time, the Green Bay Packers defensive passing-game coordinator had seen what he’d seen from cornerback Kalen King during the first several weeks of the offseason program, and he liked it.

A lot.

And so, Ansley rapped his knuckles on the wooden podium in front of him and said what was on his mind anyway.

“I don’t want to speak to soon — knock on wood — but he’s looking really, really good out there,” Ansley said during a Q&A session with reporters last week during Phase II of the offseason program. “He’s playing inside and out. [It’s] kind of like the light has gone off for him and he looks more springy in his step.”

For a team with uncertainty at cornerback — not to mention one that plays in an NFC North with talented wide receiver tandems in Minnesota (Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison), Detroit (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams) and Chicago (DJ Moore, Rome Odunze) — King elevating his game after a redshirt year on the practice squad would be provide a lift the position.

King is one of three seventh-round picks the Packers have at cornerback, along with 2023 pick Carrington Valentine, who has started 22 games (including three in the playoffs) in his first two NFL seasons, and rookie Micah Robinson, who was the Packers’ second-to-last pick in this year’s draft after four college seasons at Furman and one at Tulane.

But while Valentine has established himself as a legitimate starting-quality cornerback and Robinson is just starting his NFL journey, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound King is an interesting option for defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley because he’s spent a year in his system already and has the versatility to play outside or in the slot as a nickelback.

The team won’t begin 11-on-11 practice work until organized team activity practices kick off next Tuesday, which will provide coaches with a better idea of what they have to work with across the board.

For the 22-year-old King, it will be an opportunity to build on what he’s shown Ansley and Hafley so far.

“I just really looked at [the 2024 season] as a steppingstone, just projecting me forward for my career,” King said during locker clean-out day following the team’s season-ending Jan. 12 NFC playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “I feel like this was a year that I needed, for my development, my understanding of the game — just to really realize and see what I’ve got to get better at.

“This offseason, I’m really just putting a lot of energy to getting better, putting a lot of energy into just coming back next season and the best shape of myself possible.”

According to Ansley, that’s exactly what he’s done so far.

“He’s changed his body. His mind is at ease, and he’s just jumped into this thing full speed ahead,” Ansley said. “He’s been very impressive, and we’ve just got to continue to get that kind of day-to-day performance out of him.” 

Consistency has been a challenge for King. As a sophomore at Penn State in 2022, he broke up 18 passes (third-most in FBS) and had three interceptions while playing opposite of Joey Porter Jr., the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 second-round pick.

But his junior season was a colossal step back (two PBUs, no INTs), and despite still being a second-team All-Big Ten pick, he further damaged his draft stock with poor showings at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL scouting combine, where some scouts felt he appeared unprepared.

As a result, he went from being a first-round prospect to being the 255th overall pick, two selections before Mr. Irrelevant.

But past is prologue for him now, and clearly the coaches are ready to give him a chance to prove himself after being no higher than sixth on the depth chart in training camp a year ago, behind Jaire Alexander, Keisean Nixon, Eric Stokes, Valentine and Corey Ballentine.

Stokes and Ballentine weren’t re-signed as free agents, and Alexander’s future remains in limbo as the team and his agent try to determine whether he’ll return on an adjusted contract, be traded elsewhere or be flat-out released.

Even with the free-agent addition of Nate Hobbs, there’s no denying there’s opportunity for him. It’ll be up to him to seize it.

“While I was on the practice squad, I was just doing everything I could to make sure I don’t go through another season like that again. So that’s really my main priority right now,” King said.

“Being on the practice squad allowed me to play on the scout team and get reps against the No. 1 guys, the No. 1 offense. I feel like that only made me better. I got to line up across from NFL starters for a season straight. And I’m just going to use that as momentum and project out for the next year and use it in camp.”

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