Las Vegas Raiders Officially Sign Key Rookie Defensive Back

Porter impressed early at Raiders rookie minicamp, standing out not just for his size but for his speed and energy. “Everyone’s excited, there’s a lot of juice going around,” he told reporters after one of three practices open to the media. “Yeah, we made it to the NFL but now the thing is to stay here and make your mark here.”

That mentality reflects what the Raiders are looking for under new head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek. With Las Vegas lacking depth at cornerback, Porter will likely have every opportunity to contribute early. The team recently cut last year’s No. 1 cornerback Jack Jones and lost nickelback Nate Hobbs to Green Bay in free agency. Returnees Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson, Darnay Holmes, and Sam Webb round out the current group, but only Bennett has shown starting-caliber ability—posting a promising sophomore season before a shoulder injury cut it short.

Now, the Raiders’ cornerback rebuild centers around free-agent signee Eric Stokes and Porter.

“I think one of the cool things about Porter in particular is the collaboration between [the scouts] and Pete and the coaches and a vision for a player like that,” Spytek told reporters. “That’s incredibly empowering to the scouting department to be able to bring players that are unique like that to a coach and have them go, ‘Hell yeah, I can work with that guy.’”

Porter is the prototypical Carroll cornerback: long, athletic, and still developing technically. Carroll, who helped mold All-Pro Richard Sherman after his transition from receiver at Stanford, sees similar traits in Porter.

“We’ve drafted a lot of corners over the years, and we’ve always looked for guys that are really long and tall because of the style of the way we coach them,” Carroll said. “The one thing I think about Darien, he’s a lot like Richard Sherman was… There’s a lot of similarities in the makeup of these two kids. Richard’s history is pretty bright, so I have really high expectations for how this works out with Darien. He kind of fits the mold.”

Porter himself draws inspiration from Sherman but sees a more fitting modern comparison in Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen. “He caught [Woolen] at the end of his tenure in Seattle,” Porter said. “But I think athletically, I fit a little bit more Tariq than Richard Sherman. But I’m just looking to take all the coaching I can to get to the level of those guys.”

Woolen, a fifth-round pick out of UTSA in 2022, made the Pro Bowl as a rookie under Carroll’s guidance. Porter is hopeful he can follow a similar path.

“I know my best football is still ahead, but I’m here and I’ve done everything to put myself in this position,” Porter said. “I was drafted in the third round and I’m still learning so, for me, it gives me confidence.”

Off the field, joining the Raiders carries extra meaning for Porter. A longtime USC fan, he grew up admiring Carroll from afar. “I was watching him in the early to mid-2000s with USC,” Porter told the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Adam Hill. “So for me, it’s kind of surreal to have this kind of come full circle for me. Now he’s my head coach in the NFL, so it’s just crazy.”

Porter has checked every box so far, from an impressive combine performance to a strong start at minicamp. He’ll have his next opportunity to solidify a role when the team reconvenes for offseason workouts on May 19.

With Porter now under contract, only second-round pick Jack Bech, a wide receiver, remains unsigned from the Raiders’ 2025 draft class.

And with a clear opportunity ahead, Porter’s story is only beginning in Las Vegas.