Final College Sports Wires mock draft predicts where Joey Porter Jr. lands in 2023 NFL draft
The 2023 NFL draft is just days away and Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. continues to be on track to make some school history. The Nittany Lions have never had a cornerback selected in the first round of an NFL draft, but Porter Jr. is widely expected to be the first. Porter Jr. will be attending the draft in person, almost assuring his name will be called by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at some point during the first round of the draft on Thursday night.
Where Porter Jr. goes in the first round remains almost anyone’s guess. But according to the final mock draft from our friend Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire, it looks like Porter Jr. will be lining up in practices against a former teammate in State College. According to Conn’s final mock draft, Porter Jr. could be heading to the Washington Commanders with the 16th overall pick.
“Washington is going to need to address the cornerback spot for 2023 and Joey Porter Jr definitely checks all the boxes for the Commanders,” Conn writes in his mock draft. “He can help combat the number of receivers Washington has to face in the NFC East.”
If that pick comes to fruition, it would be the second year in a row Washington would have drafted a Penn State player in the first round. Jahan Dotson was selected in the first round by Washignton in 2022 to help add to the wide receiver corp in Washington. Drafting Porter Jr. would likely lead to some more practice battles between Dotson and Porter Jr. like in their Penn State days together, which would surely be fun to see.
Regardless of where he ends up going, Porter Jr. is expected to be heading somewhere in the first round and could potentially be in the top half of the first round as one of the top cornerback prospects on the big board. Whether he is the first cornerback to be drafted remains to be seen, but he will still be very likely to be the first cornerback chosen in the first round from Penn State in NFL draft and school history.
Conn’s mock draft also projects safety Ji'Ayir Brown to the Green Bay Packers in the third round (no. 78 overall) and tight end Brenton Strange to the LA Chargers in the third round (no. 85 overall).
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