2023 NFL Combine results for Joey Porter Jr.
Penn State was once again well-represented at the NFL combine in Indianapolis in 2023, and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was one of the main attractions from Happy Valley. The son of a former NFL veteran, the expectations are high for Porter Jr. as he takes his game to the next level after a solid career at Penn State.
Porter Jr. has been viewed by NFL draft experts as a likely first-round pick, with a number of mock drafts suggesting he could be a top 10 player. But did his performance at the NFL combine back that hype up, or are the experts stuck rethinking a few things with their big boards?
Joey Porter Jr. had a fine showing at the combine, although his numbers didn’t lead the combine in any category. Instead, Porter Jr. had numbers stuck closer to the middle fo the pack in his position group at the combine. Here is a look at the official NFL combine numbers from Penn State’s biggest draft prospect in 2023.
Measurables
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 03: Defensive back Joey Porter of Penn State participates in the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 03, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Height: 6’2.5″
Weight: 193 lbs
Arm: 34″
Hand: 10″
40-yard dash
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 03: Defensive back Joey Porter of Penn State participates in the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 03, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Official time: 4.46
Joey Porter Jr. was not the fastest cornerback at the NFL combine, and he wasn’t the slowest. Instead, he landed squarely in the middle of the pack when it came to his 40-yard dash time. Porter Jr.’s best 40-yard dash time was the 14th-best time among cornerbacks (out of 29 cornerbacks running a 40-yard dash).
The fastest time at the combine belonged to Michigan’s DJ Turner II with a blazing 4.26 seconds. In fact, the three fastest times were recorded by Big Ten players with Maryland’s duo of Jakorian Bennett (4.30) and Deonte Banks (4.35) topping the board (Banks tied with Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes).
10-yard split
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 03: Defensive back Joey Porter of Penn State looks on during the NFL Combine during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 03, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Official split time: 1.5
His 40-yard time may have been in the middle of the pack, but Joey Porter Jr. was just three-hundredths of a second slower than the fastest combine time in the 10-yard split at the jump. Michigan’s DJ Turner II set the pace with a 1.47-second split.
Five players were timed at 1.48 seconds, and another four clocked in at 1.49 seconds before Porter Jr. and two others were timed at 1.50 seconds after 10 seconds.
Vertical jump
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 03: Defensive back Joey Porter of Penn State participates in a drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 03, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Official record: 35″
If there is one event Joey Porter Jr. could have some room for improvement, it may be the vertical jump. Porter Jr. ranked 19th out of the cornerbacks in the vertical jump.
Maryland’s Deonte Banks had the best vertical jump of the combine among cornerbacks with a 42.00″ inch vertical jump. Four other cornerbacks had a vertical of 40 inches or higher, including Marykand’s Jakorian Bennett.
Broad jump
Mar 3, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State defensive back Joey Porter (DB23) participates in drills during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Official distance: 10’9″
Joey Porter Jr. didn’t fare too poorly with a broad jump a few inches shy of 11 feet, but when eight other cornerbacks leap past 11 feet, the numbers start to look relatively pedestrian by comparison. Porter Jr.’s numbers once again fall just above the middle of the pack in this category with the 12th-best broad jump among cornerbacks.
Kansas State’s Julius Brents led all cornerbacks with a broad jump of 11’6″, and Maryland’s Deonte Banks fell just two inches shy of that mark. Maryland’s Jakorian Bennett was among the players with a broad jump over 11 feet (11’1″). Purdue’s Cory Trice Jr. was the third Big Ten player to go at least 11 feet (11’0″).
Bench Press
Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Official count: 17 reps
Joey Porter Jr. concluded his NFL Combine by putting up 17 reps on the bench press. With 17 reps, Porter Jr. had the second-most reps among cornerbacks, tying with Purdue’s Cory Trice Jr. and coming up one shy of Utah’s Clark Phillips III’s 18 reps.
NFL Combine Grade
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 03: Defensive back Joey Porter of Penn State looks on during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 03, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
NFL Combine Grade: 6.43
Overall, the assessment of Joey Porter Jr. is that he had a good showing at the combine. The advanced stats from the NFL graded Porter Jr. with a 6.43 draft grade, which suggests he will become a good starter in the league within two years.
Pirrter Jr. has been hyped as a likely first-round draft pick, and his performance at the combine hasn’t done any harm to that outlook. But his numbers compared to other cornerbacks at the combine did lag toward the bottom of the top 10 corners in a handful of grades.
Porter Jr. may still end up being a first-round draft pick, but it may do him some good to put on a show at Penn State’s pro day just to be safe.
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