Every time a football player takes a step up in competition level, the overall quality of the talent goes up. While the statistics may not be perfect, roughly only six to seven percent of high school football players continue to play in college. Then that number dwindles even further when making the jump from college to the NFL.
Yet it’s something to see that printed on the page or be told that by coaches while it’s completely different to experience that yourself. Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have wrapped up OTAs, rookie CB Joey Porter Jr spoke with reporters via video from Steelers.com about his experiences so far. One topic that came up was the difference in talent level in the NFL.
“Everybody’s good,” Porter said. “This is not the high school level or college level where there’s one guy here and there. Everybody’s well talented, and if they weren’t they wouldn’t be in this building. So really can’t take no reps off.”
Even Power Five conference teams like Penn State University, Porter’s alma mater, aren’t filled with NFL-level players. The Nittany Lions had eight players drafted this year, the most of any team in the Big Ten Conference. However, there’s a gulf in talent on a college football team’s roster. You’ve got to have talent to make it in college, but there are nearly 900 teams at the college level between the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Football Championship Subdivision, Division II, Division III, the NAIA, and the NJCAA.
To go from almost 900 teams to 32 teams is an incredible jump. At the college level, even the Power Five conference level, there are going to be players on the roster that are simply there to help fill out the roster. They may never start a game in their entire career. In the NFL, if you’re on a roster, the expectation is that you’re going to play somewhere, whether you’re a depth piece, special teamer, or working to play in the future.
So maybe while at Penn State, Porter knew that his position at corner was secure. You can’t teach players to have 34-inch arms or run a 4.46 forty-yard dash. However, that level of athleticism will only get you so far. Porter is surrounded by the best of the best football players on the planet. Everyone is an exceptional athlete relative to the average human. Now what separates players on the field is more about the mental side of the game. That includes every rep, even in OTAs.
