Joey Porter Jr. Draft Profile and Scouting Report

 

 

Joey Porter Jr. Scouting Report: Penn State Nittany Lions, Cornerback, #9

 

 

2023 NFL Draft Measurements

6’2 1/2″ / 193 lbs.

Joey Porter Jr. 40-Time – 4.46

 

 

Joey Porter Jr. Draft Profile

 

Personal Life

Many of you long-term football fans may recognize the name, Joey Porter. That is because Joey Porter Jr.’s father played in the NFL for 13 seasons. He spent 8 years on the Steelers where he was a vital piece of their defense. His presence on defense helped the Steelers win the Super Bowl in the 2005 season. Shortly after retiring, he returned to his Alma Mater Colorado State to be a defensive assistant coach. Then, in 2014, he was hired by the Steelers and remained a coach for several years. Currently, Joey Porter Sr. is the Linebackers coach for the San Antonio Brahmas in the XFL.

 

High School

Porter Jr. is a former 4-star recruit from North Allegheny High School in Wexford, Pennsylvania. According to 247sports, he was ranked as the 4th best player in Pennsylvania. They also had him rated as the 24th-best corner in the nation. While achieving this status, he received offers from sixteen division I programs. Some of the schools that offered him were LSU, Maryland, UCLA, and Penn State. After only visiting Penn State, he decided that he wanted to continue his career at Happy Valley.

 

College

According to ESPN, Porter Jr. did not get significant snaps until the 2020 season. But, as a redshirt freshman, he played in 3 games and recorded 3 tackles and 1 pass deflection. During his 2020 season, he played in eight games where he recorded 34 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 PBUs. Although this was an improvement, he really showed progress in 2021. He played in 13 games where he recorded 49 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, and 4 PBUs. Finally, this past season, he played in 10 games and recorded 27 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, and 8 PBUs. In this season, he also only allowed 15 receptions and 143 yards according to PFF.

 

Joey Porter Jr. Strengths

 

Coverage

I know this is an obvious skill for a corner, but he is very good regardless of the coverage assignment. When lined up in zone coverage, he does a good job of diagnosing the offense prior to the snap. After doing so, he adjusts his leverage and communicates with his team what he sees. After the snap, he shows off a glimpse of his athleticism by keeping his pad level low and quickly working back to his zone. Then while sitting in his zone, he keeps his head on a swivel so he can pick up any receiver that enters his zone. If the ball comes his way, he does a good job of working around or through the receiver to break up the pass.

In man coverage, Porter does a very good job of locking down receivers when playing with inside leverage. This allows him to force the receiver to the sideline and use his strength to take away the room they have to work with. He also uses his strength to his advantage when in press coverage. When the ball is snapped, he has a strong one-hand punch that can take away the receiver’s momentum. By the time the receiver breaks free, the ball has already been thrown. In soft coverage, he does a good job of anticipating the receiver’s route break. This allows him to close out on them and disrupt the pass if it comes his way. On deep routes, he does a good job of flipping his hips and taking off down the field.

 

Ball Skills

As I mentioned earlier, Porter Jr. has good ball skills to disrupt the pass. Regardless of where he is on the field, he does a good job of going around or through the receiver to break up the pass. When the ball is thrown above his frame, he uses his 35″ vertical to go up and meet the ball at its high point.

 

Speed

Joey Porter Jr. is one of the best athletes at the cornerback position in this draft class. This is primarily due to how fast he is in a straight line. When dropping back into coverage, he shows off his incredible foot speed to quickly cover ground. If his target breaks in their route below him, he can close out on them in an instant and disrupt the pass. Porter Jr. also does a good job of disrupting screens by quickly closing out on the target. Then he uses his sticky hands to grab his target and take them to the ground.

 

Joey Porter Jr. Weaknesses

 

Agility

Although Porter Jr. is good in coverage, he is a little slow when changing direction in press coverage. If he is not able to properly execute his punch against a speed release, he has shown he doesn’t have the hip mobility needed to keep up. This makes him very susceptible to short routes in the middle of the field.

 

Holding

Another concern that I have about Porter’s game is that he has a tendency to hold his target. If the opposing receiver is able to gain leverage on Porter, he often grabs them at the top of their route stem. This is because of his lack of hip mobility and ability to make up ground after losing leverage. In order to be productive in the NFL, he needs to work on this.

 

Joey Porter Jr. Draft Stock

After testing at the Combine, nflmockdraftdatabase has Porter Jr. as the 14th overall prospect in the draft. They also have him as a first-round lock and will likely go toward the middle of the round. After watching his film, I would have to agree with this ranking, because Porter Jr. is my 2nd favorite corner behind Devon Witherspoon.

 

Final Thoughts on Joey Porter Jr. Scouting Report

Joey Porter Jr. is one of the most polished corners in this draft class. Regardless of the coverage he is lined up in, he can get the job done. His play strength allows him to jam the receiver at the line and take away their momentum. Then he does a good job of forcing the receiver to the sideline, taking away the space they have to operate with. If the ball is thrown his way, he uses his amazing vertical to go up and make a play on the ball. Going forward, he needs to work on his hip mobility so he can be more effective in the middle of the field. This will lead to him holding his target less at the top of their route stem.

 

Joey Porter Jr. Player Comparison

Porter Jr. is almost an exact replica of Jaycee Horn when he was at South Carolina.

 

Joey Porter Jr. Scouting Academy and Player Profile Analyst – Matthew Lewis