The Las Vegas Raiders earned the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after winning just four games under head coach Antonio Pierce last season. With the selection, they landed on Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns during his final season.
While Jeanty is certainly the headliner, the team also drafted a slew of other players who are expected to be Week 1 starters. Las Vegas chose TCU wideout Jack Bech and Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter on Day 2 with the expectation that they will be ready to go right away in their NFL careers.
Porter has already drawn plenty of comparisons to future Hall of Fame cornerback Richard Sherman. The two players have similar builds and features, and both of them switched to defense from wide receiver while in college.
They were also both selected by head coach Pete Carroll in the middle rounds of their respective NFL Drafts. However, Porter recently spoke to ESPN's Ryan McFadden and is already disavowing the notion that he and Sherman are similar.
"I think athletically, I fit a little bit more (Seattle Seahawks cornerback) Tariq (Woolen) than Richard Sherman," Porter said. "But just looking to take all the coaching I can to get to the level of those guys."
At Iowa State, Porter started just seven games at cornerback throughout his career, but he had three interceptions during his senior campaign. He also had two passes defended and 18 total tackles, so he is finding his footing in the secondary.
His physical traits -- he stands at 6-foot-4 with 33 and 1/8-inch arms -- were too impressive for Carroll to pass up, so the Raiders took a swing on him with the No. 68 overall pick in the third round. Even if he does not turn into an All-Pro player or a Super Bowl champion like Sherman, Porter can carve out a nice career for himself with the Silver and Black.
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