Penn State is on the road this week to take on the Auburn Tigers. Their biggest factor in winning is stopping Tank Bigsby and the Tigers’ run game. However, the Nittany Lions secondary could be in for a big game and one notable name is cornerback Joey Porter Jr. On top of that, he has been featured in multiple first-round 2023 NFL mock drafts.
This week, The Draft Network has yet another mock draft that features the Penn State corner. This time, Porter Jr. heads to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 30th overall pick.
Let’s break this down for the Bucs.
With Sean Murphy-Bunting headed to free agency in 2023, this pick makes plenty of sense. Sure, he struggled a bit in the first half against Purdue week 1. But, he certainly turned it around in the second half and continues to prove why he can be a lockdown corner in the NFL.
As a man/press corner, that is where Porter Jr. excels. In fact, he is an elite corner in that area. The Bucs have done an exceptional job developing their secondary players. Both Bunting and Carlton Davis were second-round picks. That is about the draft projection where several analysts have Porter Jr. — a late first-early second-round pick.
Porter Jr. also has the prototypical size you want in an NFL corner. He has the length and the body frame. Not only that, but Porter Jr. also does a terrific job using his size to his advantage. If he can clean up his minor mistakes, like getting more consistent with his hands, he has all the tangibles to be a starting NFL corner. He missed a big play against Purdue in week 1 that could have likely turned into a pick-six. But again, he turned it around in week 2. He finished that game with eight solo tackles, six pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.
He also has six pass breakups through the first two weeks of the college football season. That’s second in all of college football. Pro Football Focus also has Porter Jr. with the third highest coverage grade in the Big Ten with an 82.0.
Big Ten defenders with the highest coverage grades from last week:
🔒 Quinn Schulte: 89.3
🔒 Jakorian Bennett: 85.6
🔒 Joey Porter Jr: 82.0 pic.twitter.com/WI1B9U3KkY— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 9, 2022
But, as mentioned, Bunting is slated to be a free agent in 2023, and Porter Jr. would be the perfect replacement for him. Can Tampa Bay afford to lose him? The short answer is yes. This is another talented cornerback class, headlined Georgia’s Keelee Ringo and Alabama’s Eli Ricks.
In terms of depth, outside of Bunting and Davis, the Bucs really don’t have a whole lot of talent in their cornerback room.
You could certainly make the argument that Tampa Bay could go offensive line with their first-round pick. However, don’t be surprised to see them go defense again as they did in 2021 with taking Washington’s Joe Tryon. If they do go defense, addressing their secondary would make a ton of sense, especially if they do end up letting Bunting walk in free agency.
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