We are less than four weeks away from day one of the 2023 NFL draft, and mock drafts are coming in daily.
The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman recently released his third-annual first-round mock draft with his own analysis and that of anonymous NFL and college coaching sources.
Cornerback has been a popular selection for the Washington Commanders at No. 16 overall in most mock drafts. That’s no different in Feldman’s new mock draft. With Christian Gonzalez [No. 8] and Devon Witherspoon [No. 14] off the board, Feldman sends Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. to Washington.
Here’s Feldman’s analysis:
Does Washington feel tempted to jump on a QB (Hooker over Levis) here? I think the Commanders opt to see how Sam Howell does, and if he doesn’t convince them in 2023, perhaps they make a huge move up to try and bring Caleb Williams home to D.C. They do need more help at corner and have two really good options here in Maryland’s Deonte Banks and Porter. I think they go for the longer option in the 6 feet 2 1/2, 193-pound Porter. The son of the former NFL star of the same name, Porter ran 4.46 in the 40 and broad jumped 10-9; his arms measured in at an eye-popping 34 inches. Rare. There has been talk about Porter being too handsy, and that was an issue with him drawing penalties in 2021, but he cleaned that up and only was flagged once in the Nittany Lions’ final 12 games.
Feldman makes an excellent point on the quarterback position. The Commanders have a lottery ticket in Howell. If he succeeds, Washington has its franchise quarterback. If he doesn’t, you can reassess under new ownership next offseason.
Here’s what Feldman’s first source said on Porter:
The length is so intimidating. You don’t find guys that can run like he can with that kind of length. He eliminated that side of the ball for us.
Second anonymous source:
He’s very physical and has impressive change of direction. Someone tried to run a pivot (route) on him on fourth-and-2. His ability to flip his hips for a guy that long was a sight to see.
Feldman’s third anonymous source:
He is extremely athletic, has great COD and good movement skills. But on tape, he sometimes gets himself out of position, getting caught inside when he should be outside, or he’ll misfit something on a run play.
Porter’s combination of size, length and athleticism make him an ideal first-round selection.