Breaking: Darien Porter lands with Las Vegas Raiders in NFL Draft

A second former Iowa State star is off the board. Darien Porter is headed to the Las Vegas Raiders after being selected in the third round of the NFL Draft Friday night.

His former Cyclone teammate, Jayden Higgins, was picked by the Houston Texans in the second round.

With the 68th pick in the 2025 @NFL Draft, the @Raiders select Darien Porter from @CycloneFB pic.twitter.com/1qU5Zw0Sni
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) April 26, 2025

Porter, a native of Bettendorf, transitioned to defensive back after starting out his career as a wide receiver, like Higgins was. He was picked No. 68 overall by the Raiders.

After joining Iowa State in 2019, Porter played on offense and special teams. Three years later, he made the move to defense and shined, starting seven games this past year while earning honorable mention all-Big 12 status.

Porter finished his career with 18 tackles, three interceptions and two blocks. He set a school record with four blocked punts and a blocked field goal.

In Iowa State’s win over Iowa, Porter had two picks, with his third coming vs. Texas Tech. His 64 games played were the most in school history.

Porter gives head coach Matt Campbell his 14th drafted Cyclone and marks the third straight year a defensive player has been selected.