Running back Ashton Jeanty has been heralded as an instant impact player for the Las Vegas Raiders, but the franchise might have struck gold with another pick in this spring’s NFL Draft.
In a division where the Raiders are staring down the barrel at two matchups each, each season, against Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and emerging star Bo Nix, Las Vegas went to head coach Pete Carroll’s blueprint in selecting cornerback Darien Porter in the third round.
Las Vegas Raiders’ Pete Carroll Has High Hopes for Darien Porter
At six-foot-three and 195 pounds, Porter is already drawing comparisons to former All-Pro Richard Sherman … From Carroll.
“There’s a lot of similarities in the makeup of these two kids,” Carroll said, via ESPN. “Richard’s history is pretty bright, so I have high expectations for how this works out with Darien, and he kind of fits the mold.”
Porter arrives, on the heels of a three-interception season at Iowa State, plenty of upside, and a coach that knows a thing or two about molding long cornerbacks with elite ballskills into difference-makers in the secondary.
During the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., Porter looked like the kind of sticky cornerback capable of rubbing receivers off their routes and making plays on the ball when quarterbacks dare throw his way.
“We’ve always looked for guys that are fast, long and tall because of the way we coach them,” said Carroll, who coached the Seahawks for 14 seasons.
With the versatility to thrive on defense and contribute on special teams, while Jeanty might grab the highlights and the headlines, Porter could develop into one of the Raiders’ core players for years to come.
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