Scout's analysis: Is Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. a first-rounder?
Drae Harris played collegiately at California and worked in NFL scouting departments for the Cardinals, Chiefs and Browns. (Go here for all Harris' scouting reports.)
Penn State's Joey Porter Jr., whose dad played in the NFL, is a 6-foot-2, 193-pound redshirt junior who earned Second-Team All America by the Associated Press and First-Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media in 2022.
Strengths: Porter, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, has sufficient agility and quickness for the position. As a force player against the run game, he is an aggressive and willing tackler. He has good length and size and uses his length to re-route receivers at the line of scrimmage and stay in phase in press man while easily opening his hips to run with outside releases.
When the receiver has a step on him, he uses his length to interfere at the catch point. He plays with a competitive spirit and challenges receivers when the ball is in the air. He may be able to play safety or moneybacker in sub-package personnel groups.
Weaknesses: He is raw in some regards and doesn’t consistently show the hip fluidity and agility to mirror receivers in off-man situations. He must clean up his eyes and technique when he isn't in press coverage. He is a little inefficient and has moments of wasted movement and takes extra steps at the top of the route.
Porter will likely be limited to the role of a “pass break up” guy as opposed to a corner who earns many interceptions. In 34 games at Penn State, he had one interception.
Conclusion: Teams will be enamored by his big-time program experience—Porter started 31 games in college—as well as his NFL pedigree and prototypical size. Many draft pundits have him as a first-round choice, and he probably will be selected there. But that's problematic for me. Cornerback is a premium position, and Porter lacks some of the physical traits and ball skills you'd like a top-tier CB to have. He may be a scheme-specific player who's best suited to play a predominantly zone scheme.
What others say | ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr: “He didn’t allow any touchdowns in coverage last season. He’s physical—he’ll tackle in the run game. I see Porter as a player who could thrive for Bill Belichick’s defense.”
ESPN's Todd McShay: "He has length and plays a physical brand of football, rerouting receivers off the line of scrimmage and outmuscling them on 50-50 balls despite weighing just [193] pounds."
Comp: Free agent Xavier Rhodes, who has played for the Vikings, Colts, Bills and Cowboys
Round: Second
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