CB, Penn State
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 194 lbs
Class: rs-Junior
If Porter’s name sounds familiar, that’s because it is. He is the son of five-time All-Pro edge rusher Joey Porter, who the Steelers selected in the third round in 1999. Porter Jr was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in 2019 and ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the state of Pennsylvania. He chose to stay in state, committing to the Nittany Lions over offers from 15 other schools.
Porter redshirted his first season with the team, before starting every game in the Covid-19 abbreviated season. He earned Third Team All-Big Ten honours that year, and in 2021, where he started all 13 games. In 2022 he took his game to the next level and was a semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the best defensive back in college football.
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Strengths
It is difficult to talk about Porter as a prospect without mentioning his physical attributes. At 6’2″ and 194 lbs he has the size that teams will be looking for in a boundary cornerback. He pairs this with some legitimate play strength that shows up in every facet of his game. He is also blessed with a natural length advantage, reportedly possessing 35″ arms. That is the longest of any cornerback prospect on record. For added context, it would also rank in the 87th percentile amongst offensive linemen.
This naturally makes Porter well suited for playing in press coverage. He showed good patience when working around the line of scrimmage, with hand strength to jam opposing receivers effectively and disrupt their releases. Porter is also ideally built to play man coverage, especially against prototypical X receivers. The stats back this up. Porter has allowed just 70 yards on 19 targets in man coverage this season. He has allowed a passer rating of just 56.9 on such throws.
One of Porter’s other strengths is his ability to be disruptive at the catch point. Whilst he hasn’t had much production in terms of interceptions (just one on 120 career targets) his ability to compete at the catch point stands out. His combination of length, timing, and ball tracking ability have helped him to produce 15 pass breakups throughout his college career.
To be a great cornerback in the NFL you need to add value against the run and as a tackler. Porter ticks those boxes too. He showcases good willingness to get downhill against the run and is consistently able to defend the sideline and force ball carriers to cut back inside. He also takes good pursuit angles, and his great length gives him a naturally large tackle radius. His form as a tackler is generally very good and he never looks out of control. This allows him to wrap up regularly in space.
Weaknesses
Whilst Porter is a good athlete, he is somewhat limited in terms of his transitional quickness. He will also be tested on vertical routes by quicker receivers. This combination of factors will often lead to Porter getting grabby at the top of routes. This saw him flagged 10 times in 2021 alone. Whilst he improved in 2022, he still garnered three penalties. This is only likely to increase in the NFL thanks to the lack of illegal contact penalties in college football.
He could also stand to improve his technique. Porter can occasionally get a little upright through his backpedal. Given his height, this can limit his explosiveness when reacting to underneath routes. He would also benefit from some work on his hand placement at the line. Whilst he is excellent when he gets inside the frame of his opponent, there were several times on tape where his placement would be errant and limit the effectiveness of his jam.
Bottom Line
Porter has the size and physicality to be a quality press man cornerback. He does have some athletic limitations, but if he can refine his technique and turn some more pass breakups into picks, he can be a very effective starter in the NFL.
Ideal role: Boundary cornerback in a press man scheme
Round projection: 1st round
