Joey Porter Jr., Christian Gonzalez lead deep CB class

If you’re looking for some cornerback help in the 2023 NFL Draft, you’re in luck.

This year’s crop of cornerbacks is considered by many to be one of the deepest in recent years. The class features both elite talent expected to go early in the first round, along with solid prospects likely to hear their names called on Days 2 and 3.

Which cornerback is the first to be selected come April 27 remains to be seen, but Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. will certainly be in the conversation.

Porter is coming off his best season as a Nittany Lion. In 10 games, the 6-foot-2, 194-pound corner registered 11 pass breakups on his way to being named First-Team All-Big Ten.

One thing is clear when listening to him speak at Prospect Media Day Thursday at the NFL Combine – the young man does not lack confidence.

“I’m a physical press corner that’s going to get in your face and do my job and do it well…” Porter told the media. “I feel like I’m the best corner here. I’m just here to show my talents and prove why.”

Porter, who said he patterns his game after three-time All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey, is the second-highest ranked cornerback on Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50 draft prospect rankings, coming in at No. 12. The former Penn State CB earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors this past season after being selected Third-Team All-Big Ten the previous two years.

But unlike most prospects in this year’s draft, Porter has been around the NFL his whole life.

Joey Porter Sr. played 13 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker. He was selected five times as an All-Pro in addition to being named to both the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team.

Porter Jr. grew up around the Steelers facility, absorbing as much information as he could from the NFL players around him. He even recalled doing one-on-one drills with former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown. Having his dad’s experiences to lean on serves as inspiration as he embarks on his own NFL journey.

“My dad’s been there (in the NFL) before,” the top prospect said about the Steelers legend. “He’s done it. I want to do the same thing and just be better. That’s the main thing he always told me. He wants me to be better than him. So, that’s what I’m going to strive to do, and that’s why I’m here.”

Porter isn’t the only top cornerback prospect with some NFL ties in the family.

Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez put together a breakout campaign in 2022 with four interceptions and seven pass breakups in 12 games. Gonzalez was named…