Penn State Football cornerback Joey Porter Jr. enters the 2023 NFL Draft as one of the top prospects at his position.

Despite only being targeted 30 times during the 2022 season, NFL executives have expressed concern about his off-coverage skills.

However, Porter Jr. has a different perspective, citing his experience playing against some of the top receivers in the Big Ten where he held his own in both press and off-coverage.

During Penn State’s 2021 loss to Ohio State, Porter Jr. held receiver Chris Olave to just three catches for 44 yards. Additionally, he has shown that he can excel in a man-press system, while developing a reputation as a ballhawk.

Porter Jr. is 6-foot-2 with 34-inch arms and weighs 193 pounds, giving him the prototypical size and length that NFL defensive coordinators aim to build around.

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Despite the skeptics, Porter Jr.’s tape shows that he has the potential to become a premier press-corner in the NFL.

Porter Jr. produced a 77.4 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus, for his dominant 2022 season.

Meanwhile, Quarterbacks had a meager 63.6 passer rating when targeting him.

In an interview with Heavy Sports’ The Matt Lombardo Show, Porter Jr. adamantly pushed back against the claims that he can’t play off-coverage.

“I guess [the executives] didn’t watch my film,” Porter Jr. said “Because before last season, for two years prior, I had Brent Pry [as defensive coordinator] and we weren’t really a press team, we played a lot of off”

Porter Jr.’s tape and traits show that he can be a complete player at the next level, which is why he is considered one of the top prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Jaquan Brisker roamed the same secondary as Porter Jr., during his collegiate career in Happy Valley, and the Bears’ safety believes his former teammate has the potential to be special.

“He’s 6-foot-3,” Brisker said recently. “And he can run. He’s going to be physical at the line of scrimmage. But, he can also get off and play zone, you know toggle, if he wants. That makes him very different and unique

“Once an NFL coach gets a hold of him, and a defense figures out what they want to do with him, I feel like he could be very dangerous.”

While it remains to be seen where Porter Jr. will land, he has a legitimate chance to be the third consecutive Penn State Football player chosen in the first-round, following Micah Parsons and Jahan Dotson over the past two seasons.

 

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