Penn State corner Joey Porter Jr. climbing draft charts
Penn State football was set to produce a top 10-projected pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. That was the case until Olu Fashanu opted to return to play another year with the Nittany Lions, anyway.
If Todd McShay’s latest offering for ESPN is any indication, Penn State might send a player in the first half of the first round nonetheless.
Released Tuesday afternoon, the ESPN Senior Writer and NFL Draft analyst has Joey Porter Jr. going 16th overall to the Detroit Lions. The fourth-year Nittany Lion cornerback is also rated by McShay as the 15th-best overall prospect in the upcoming draft.
“Porter is instinctive and excels in press-man but also shows the recognition skills necessary in zone coverage,” McShay writes. “He has fast eyes when diagnosing screens and runs, and he uses his long arms, solid technique and physicality to reroute receivers off the line of scrimmage. He also plays with very good body control, but he does have some tightness and tends to get handsy when he feels himself getting out of phase. Porter knows when to attack the receiver and when to attack the ball, too.”
Noting that Porter finished his 2022 season without an interception (having appeared sparingly in two of the final four games and not at all in the other two), McShay added that the legacy prospect did have 11 pass breakups and allowed a mere 3.7 yards per attempt.
Penn State corner Joey Porter’s projection
The situation is somewhat more complex on the defensive side of the ball for the Lions.
Laying out a predicament in which Detroit has so far allowed a league-worst 6.2 yards per play, an expected influx of talent offensively would be offset without similar strides defensively.
Former Nittany Lion Amani Oruwariye and Mike Hughes are headed into free agency, making Porter an appealing potential option.
“Porter — the son of former Steelers edge rusher Joey Porter — is my top cornerback, showcasing high-level recognition skills, and he’d give that defense more scheme flexibility,” McShay wrote. “He didn’t have a pick this season, but he did have 11 pass breakups. Detroit walks away from Round 1 with playmakers on both sides of the ball.”
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McShay isn’t alone in his projection for Porter as the top cornerback in the draft. ESPN’s other NFL analysts also agree and have Porter ranked tops at the position.
Additionally coming from Penn State’s defensive backfield, ESPN’s writers also have Ji’Ayir Brown among their top five safeties. Mel Kiper has Brown at 3, Matt Miller has Brown at 4, and McShay has him fifth.
Another name to watch
One other note of interest for Penn State fans is the projection for former quarterback Will Levis. Transferring and finishing his career at Kentucky, Levis has opted out of the bowl for the Wildcats.
According to McShay, Levis could find himself as the sixth-overall pick in the NFL Draft. In this case, that would be to the Atlanta Falcons.
Laying out Atlanta’s problems at quarterback, McShay is optimistic about what Levis can bring to the table for the Falcons.
“I’m envisioning Levis — who probably has the strongest arm in this class — driving the ball on a rope to Drake London and Kyle Pitts, or using his mobility and sturdy 232-pound frame to extend plays and contribute to Atlanta’s strong run game,” McShay wrote. “Levis still needs some developing, especially when it comes to decision-making, but the traits are outstanding.”
