Joey Porter Jr is the son of NFL standout linebacker Joey Porter, and while he doesn’t have his father’s size, he plays with his physicality and relentlessness. Porter fits best in a scheme where he’s asked to play more zone coverage than man, although he is capable in both. However, his instincts and intelligence make him a much better fit in a cover-two scheme than anywhere else.

There is some upside to Joey Porter’s game and I think it’s mostly in his opening step in coverage. His slow reaction will often force him into train, which he doesn’t have great acceleration to work back into a play. If you can teach him better technique, he can play better in coverage. The other thing that I see is that he needs to fill in his frame a little bit better, still looking a little wiry. If he does all of that, he will be a top five cornerback in the NFL. 

Joey Porter Jr getting beat off the LOS but having the length and athleticism to recover saturates his film.

Large sample size in Manny Diaz’s heavy c1/0 defense

pic.twitter.com/atKfh73Uab

— Shane (@ShanePaulFB) March 8, 2023

Suffered a non-football injury in 2022 that forced him to miss two games. Otherwise, he’s stayed remarkably healthy throughout his career. 

Joey Porter Jr’s scouting report

Athletic Ability (40)

Speed/Athleticism: 15

• Speed (5.5/7) – Good, not great, speed. Very solid overall athlete, could post a very strong RAS. 
• Lateral Quickness (3/4) – Decent lateral quickness. Doesn’t really stand out. 
• Acceleration (3/4) – Acceleration is good, not great. Doesn’t stand out with it in the cornerback class.  

Strength: 15 

• Upper Body Strength (3.5/5) – Decent upper body strength, should be stronger than most of the players in the class at his position. 
• Lower Body Strength (4/5) – Very wiry frame that has a lot of growing to do. Good explosiveness and lower body drive. 
• Brute Power (2.5/5) – Not a brute but offers good hit power. 

Hip Flexibility: 10 

• Change of Direction (4.5/5) – Very fluid hips. Changes direction seemingly at will, has the capability to make incredible plays with his change of direction ability. 
• Recovery (2.5/5) – Doesn’t recover well after surrendering a good release. Gets very grabby and tends to hold. 

Defender Ability (15)

Tackling: 10 

• Tackling Ability (4.5/6) – Very physical defender with some power behind his tackle. Would like to see him wrap up more consistently and better. Works the sideline well as an extra defender. Has shown slight improvement in 2022 with his tackling, still not as consistent as I’d like him to be. 
• Space Defending (3/4) – Decent defender in space. Not a guy I’d ideally want there but a guy who can hold up in those situations. 

Pursuit: 5

• Pursuit Angles (3.5/5) – Takes good pursuit angles to the ball. 

Coverage Ability (40)

Man Coverage: 15 

• Coverage Ability (8/10) – Very handsy in coverage, concerning to how many flags that he drew. Typically likes to get hands on and switches to a mirror technique. 
• Physicality (4.5/5) – Very physical cornerback.

Zone Coverage: 15 

• Coverage Ability (8.5/10) – Plays his assignment well in zone coverage. Doesn’t interfere with other zones, trusts the players around him. 
• Recognition (4.5/5) – Typically in position to make a play. Makes extraordinary reads at times and pulls off crazy plays with his body control. 

Press Coverage: 10 

• Coverage Ability (4.5/7) – Struggles in press and surrenders far too much positioning. He relies on his athleticism to make up for any mistakes that he has. 
• Physicality (2/3) – Not as physical in press as he is when playing other coverages. 

Overall: (81) – First Round