Maybe John Harbaugh wasn’t just joking after all. One day after telling reporters he’d draft Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. just to convert his father into a Baltimore Ravens fan, the Ravens are officially hosting Porter Jr. on a pre-draft visit. That’s according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who revealed the news Thursday morning.
The Ravens hold the 22nd pick in this year’s draft and while it seems unlikely Porter would fall that far, it’s not impossible. In his latest mock draft, which to be fair was written on March 21, Daniel Jeremiah has Porter landing with the Ravens. He’s in a battle with Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon to be the first corners off the board.
Witherspoon had been hampered by a pre-draft hamstring injury but worked out for scouts and other NFL personnel, reportedly running in the low 4.4’s. That’s helped cement his stock as one of the top corners and he could jockey with Gonzalez to be the first name off the board.
In Jeremiah’s mock, he had Witherspoon go 6th overall while Gonzalez was off the board at #8. Besides Porter, the only other corner mocked in Round One was Maryland’s Deonte Banks, 24th overall to Jacksonville.
Pittsburgh is a natural landing spot for Porter. The Steelers need cornerback help, love bloodlines, and Mike Tomlin literally watched Porter grow up. But it’s also a deep cornerback class and the Steelers could address other needs with their first-round pick. The Ravens are also in need of cornerback help and adding youth to an older secondary. According to Mock Draft Database, Porter’s average placement is 14th overall but over the last few days has been mocked as high as 10th and as low as 30th. He’s had a busy pre-draft process with visits to the Ravens, an upcoming one with the Las Vegas Raiders, and a local visit with the Steelers last week.
It’ll be somewhere in the top 32 but where Porter goes is anyone’s guess. But if I’m Joey Porter Sr., I’m getting a little nervous about having to root for the Ravens this fall.
