Could this surging cornerback prospect in the 2025 NFL draft be a Day 2 option for the Jacksonville Jaguars?
ESPN's draft analysts Jordan Reid, Field Yates, and Matt Miller each recently answered a series of draft-specific questions, one of which was mentioning a prospect that they hear is surging up draft boards.
For Reid, he would mention Iowa State cornerback Darien Porter.
Porter was one of the standout performers at this year's NFL combine. He posted a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score of 9.99 out of 10.00. This included running a 4.3-second 40, a 6.71-second 3-cone, and 4.04 in the shuttle.
On the field, Porter is a relatively inexperienced player on the defensive side of the ball with 694 career snaps, 425 of which came this past season. Porter began his college career as a wide receiver.
However, he's performed well in that cornerback role, holding opponents to just five completions on 17 targets in 2024, while having impressive ball production given the small sample size, with three interceptions and two pass breakups.
"His 4.3-second 40-yard dash and 10-foot-11 broad jump matched the athletic traits we see on his tape," wrote Reid. "The main knock on Porter is he has only two seasons of defensive experience, as he played wide receiver for the Cyclones prior to the 2022 season. But that also means his upside is immense, and teams specializing in zone coverage likely have him circled as an early-to-mid Day 2 target."
For the Jaguars, cornerback still remains a need even after signing Jourdan Lewis in free agency. Ideally, there will be competition for Jarrian Jones on the boundary for those starting snaps, not to mention that improved depth is still needed as well.
As Reid mentions, the team that drafts Porter will be betting on his upside and potential. But of note, when it comes to the Jaguars, the LA Rams, where GM James Gladstone was previously, have typically drafted more pro-ready players in recent years. In addition to that, in Anthony Campanile's malleable defensive scheme, my guess is that playing man coverage at times is going to be a part of that equation if that's what the game plan dictates.
It's quite possible that when the Jaguars are on the clock at pick 36 in the second round, Porter is the top available cornerback. However, what we don't quite know with a new GM and coaching staff is what type of prospects the Jaguars will end up prioritizing.
But nonetheless, given Porter's draft status and the Jaguars' need at cornerback, he is a prospect to know on Day 2.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars NFL draft: Day 2 CB Darien Porter surging up big boards
