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Joey Porter Jr. says he talked to Washington Commanders 'a lot'

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•03/03/23•

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Former Penn State star Joey Porter Jr
Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Could Joey Porter Jr. become the next former Penn State star to end up with the Washington Commanders? He’s had conversations with them, he told reporters at the NFL scouting combine this week.

Porter said he talked to the Commanders “a lot” during his interview, and they stand out because of the amount of former Nittany Lions on the roster. That includes Jahan Dotson, with whom Porter went up against in practice from 2019-21. Dotson had an impressive rookie year with Washington, totaling 523 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games, including 10 starts.

Two more of Porter’s former teammates — Shaka Toney and Tariq Castro-Fields — are also on the commanders. Toney, a defensive end, plays mostly on special teams while Castro-Fields appeared in two games in 2022.

Porter is seen as a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and ESPN analyst Mel Kiper projected him to go to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 17 overall in his Mock Draft 2.0 earlier this week. He put together an impressive career at Penn State, totaling 113 tackles over four years.

Joey Porter Sr. explains why son returned to Penn State for senior year, entered 2023 NFL Draft

Last offseason, Joey Porter Jr. had a big decision to make. He could’ve tested the NFL Draft waters, or he could’ve returned for one more season at Penn State.

He, of course, chose the latter — with the help of his dad, who saw some things in his game.

Joey Porter Sr., who starred for the Pittsburgh Steelers during his NFL career, told NFL Network’s Stacey Dales why he thought another year in Happy Valley would’ve helped his son in the long run.

“He hadn’t graduated at that point in time and he only really played two good years of football from his redshirt year, then from his sophomore year and his junior year,” Porter Sr. said. “I just thought it would happen now if he played another year. Three years of football wasn’t really going to be that much on your body. I thought he needed it, I thought it put him in a better situation. So far, it’s coming true.”