Joey Porter Jr. 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scouting report for the Penn State CB

Central Michigan vs. Penn State

The son of long-time Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr., this 2019 four-star recruit barely saw the field as a freshman. But then in eight games in 2020, Joey Porter Jr. recorded four PBUs and two TFLs. He got his first pick, along with four more PBUs the following season. This year, he really made a name for himself breaking up 11 passes in 10 ten games and was named first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American.

Joey Porter Jr., Penn State

6-foot-3, 195 pounds; redshirt sophomore

Positives

+ Probably the longest corners I’ve ever watched, at 6-foot-2½ with full 34-inch arms

+ Very patient off the line, along with the reach to land one-handed stabs without having to compromise his base

+ Does well to forcefully stab with the inside hand and sustaining contact with receivers in press-man coverage (from inside shade). You regularly see him ride receivers into the white on fade routes

+ Stays sticky against crossers and dig routes typically and has the hip fluidity to make those 180-degree turns when routes break away from the initial stem

+ Does not seem worried about getting run by and sticking in trail technique, and he’s way lighter on his feet than you’d think. And he stops his weight without an issue to match receivers, ready to stop once he feels the break coming

+ Not looking out of place matching up with tight ends as the single receiver in three-by-one sets, being ready to greet them with those tentacles of his

+ On 30 targets last season, only 15 were completed for 143 yards and no touchdowns, while he actively forced 12 incompletions and only 68 yards came across 106 snaps in press-man

+ For a tall corner, Porter’s ability to redirect and drive on quick-breaking routes from off-alignment is pretty impressive

+ His length and ability to cover ground make him a very tough guy to stretch with high-low concepts when he’s the flat defender in cover-two

+ He re-routes the outside receiver and guides him towards the safety on fade routes, while still being able to make plays on the ball on the out route of the slot, where offenses try to put him in conflict like that. Nearly had a pick-six on one of those in the 2022 season opener versus Purdue

+ Very competitive and strong at defending the catch point in box-out situations. Trying to throw goal-line fades against this guy isn’t a good idea, because he has the physicality, length and competitive spirit to rake the ball out at any moment, even if he doesn’t bat it away initially

+ Has the extra gear to re-enter the picture after receivers seem to have a step on him breaking to the post with him in deep responsibility

+ Porter had six PBUs in the 2022 opener against Purdue, where the QB clearly didn’t judge right what kind of range and reach he has

+ His long arms make it nearly impossible for receivers to get into his frame as blockers in the run game

+ He can dip the near-shoulder as guys work out towards him, to funnel the ball back inside

+ And if there’s a crease between blockers in the screen game, he can rapidly shoot through and throw those off

+ Those burners also show up when he runs down ball-carriers at full stride

Negatives

– Gets turned around more regularly than you’d like to see and he could draw more flags when he grabs because of it at the next level (three penalties vs. ten in 2021)

– Can be a little undisciplined at times in zone coverage and not continue to gain depth, if he feels like the deep route to his side is off the table

– Not dying to get involved in tackles, even though he’d have the size to crash through blockers and shows that at times – earned a PFF grade of just 53.2 against the run this past season

– When blitzing off the edge or replacing one of his teammates as the unblocked defender, way too often you see him clutching for air, as he’s trying to set the tackle. Missed six of 33 attempts last year (17.6%)

When you draft Porter, you know what you want him to be: a physical press-corner with historic length and plus all-around athletic traits. You can ask him to play straight bump-and-run, he can play press-bail or throw off the timing of concepts along with adding range in a more cover-two heavy system.

I don’t think he’ll have quite the same success like a similarly long corner in Tariq Woolen from last year’s class if you also stick him in a quarters-based scheme. But this is still an ascending talent, with just one season, where he seems to have gotten “it.”

There’s certainly room to become more disciplined with avoiding penalties and becoming a more reliable tackler in the run game, but considering his bloodlines and the natural gifts he has, I think you feel comfortable maybe giving him a year to acclimate himself to the pro game, because of what the payoff can be. I don’t see him making it out of the top-20.

Grade: Top-20 overall

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