Eagles Draft Interest in Top CB Ramps Up With Joey Porter Visit
It finally happened. A top-15 caliber cornerback has popped up on the Philadelphia Eagles’ draft radar.
Until it was reported that Penn State cornerback Joey Porter will visit the Eagles as part of the team’s pre-draft process, the Eagles had only invited cornerbacks that are considered late first-round picks or second-day prospects.
The list of cornerback visitors included Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes, Georgia’s Kelee Ringo, and Kansas State’s Julius Brents.
Forbes and Ringo could be late first-round picks or linger until the early to mid-part of the second round. Brents could also be a second-day selection.
As for Porter, he said he didn’t speak with the Eagles during the NFL Scouting Combine. That has changed.
“I feel like Philly's a great city, so I'd definitely love to play there,” he said at the Combine in Indianapolis.
The Penn State cornerback, who is a shade below 6-3 and weighs 198 pounds, has a long relationship with Pittsburgh and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin since his dad, four-time Pro Bowler Joey Porter, played eight of his 13 years in the NFL with the Steelers.
“I remember as a young kid, I did one-on-ones with AB (then-Steelers WR Antonio Brown) so that was a nice treat,” Porter said. “I know he wasn't going a hundred percent, but just to be able to line up against him was something special.”
For that reason, many mock drafts have Porter going to the Steelers with the 17th overall selection when the draft begins on April 27 in Kansas City.
He may not make it that far, especially if the Eagles take him at No. 10.
The Washington Commanders, picking No. 16, have also shown interest. Porter said he met with Commanders’ executives at the Combine.
“It was great,” he said. “Those are great people over there. Great organization. They got some of Penn State guys, Jahan Dotson, Shaka Toney, and Tariuq Castro-Field, so I talk to them a lot.”
The Dallas Cowboys, who pick at No. 26, would also be a nice landing spot, Porter said, because he would get to play with another Penn Stater in Micah Parsons.
Porter and Parsons didn’t get a chance to play on the field together since Parsons opted out in the COVID-19 seasons, but the cornerback said it “would mean a lot” to play with Parsons.
Both the Eagles and Cowboys addressed their secondary in the offseason, with Philly bringing back James Bradberry, extending Darius Slay, and signing free agent Greedy Williams. Dallas has Stefon Diggs and then added Stephon Gilmore.
That veteran presence could likely lessen the impact Porter would have as a rookie should he end up in Philly or Dallas.
Despite having only one interception at Penn State in four seasons, he is considered one of the three best corners in the draft along with Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, and NFL Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah has him ranked 20th on his latest list of top-50 prospects.
He is also a sure-handed tackler who is physical at the line of scrimmage, making 113 tackles in his PSU career.
“It definitely took some time coming in as a young freshman, not knowing everything, thinking I knew everything,” Porter said. “It took, it took a couple years, but it was great years that I needed. I wanted to leave last year, but it was hard.
“I had a hard conversation with my parents and they told me I wasn't ready and I took that and listened to them because my dad's been there before. I would say just honing in on my skills, getting more in-depth with the playbook, and really watching film.”
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI Fan Nation Eagles Today. Please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
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