Penn State Football cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has the bloodlines to one day be an NFL star, his father is Pittsburgh Steelers legendary pass-rusher Joey Porter, after all, and according to NFL executives and scouts, the traits to reach that level of stardom, as well.

Dozens of NFL scouts were in attendance for the Nittany Lions’ season-opening 35-31 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers, and Porter Jr. authored the kind of performance that grabbed their attention.

“He’s really talented,” an NFC East scouting director, who scouted Penn State vs. Purdue told Heavy.com NFL Insider Matt Lombardo. “He has some flaws, like most players do, but he’s really talented.”

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Against Purdue, Porter was all over the field, logging eight total tackles, and forcing six incompletions. Porter Jr. also recovered a key fumble.

“Joey Porter Jr. is a big-time prospect and he’ll definitely be a first-round pick,” an NFC personnel executive told Heavy. “He’s legit. He’s easily Penn State’s best NFL prospect, and a starting caliber NFL corner.”

Against the Boilermakers, Porter Jr. authored a masterclass on why length matters at the cornerback position, by flashing elite ball-skills, despite repeatedly being targeted by Purdue in the passing game.

Porter Jr. enters the Lions’ 2022 campaign having already produced 88 tackles, one interception, a forced fumble, and nine pass breakups.

Cornerback has become a premium position in the NFL, thanks in part to the proliferation of elite wide receiver play. And, this season in the crucible of the Big Ten East, Porter. Jr. will have plenty of opportunities to bolster his resumè, with clashes against Ohio State, Michigan, and at Ohio State’s star-studded receiving corps.

As the NFC east scouting director points out, while he believes Porter Jr. will hear his named called early in the 2023 draft, he still has some work to do during his junior season.

“He’s long, he’s fast, he’s athletic, he has everything you want,” the scouting director said. “He has to find some way to continuously play with the right technique, because he gets beat from time to time, because of it.”

That will certainly need to happen if Penn State Football’s defense is going to level up this season, and Porter Jr. is going to solidify his chances of being a first-round pick.

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