Las Vegas Raiders: Ink Athletic Prospect to 4-Year Deal

The Las Vegas Raiders needed to address their cornerback position leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft after losing two of their top three players during the offseason. The only corner the front office brought in during free agency was Eric Stokes, who has battled injuries in two of his last three seasons and is facing a downward career trajectory. On top of that, the Raiders lack a clear-cut number one, with Jakorian Bennett, Decamerion Richardson, and Stokes in contention for the job, which is not ideal.

The good news is that they addressed one of their biggest weaknesses in the draft.

The Las Vegas Raiders drafted an athletic CB

The Las Vegas Raiders selected former Iowa State Cyclones Darien Porter 68th overall in the third round. Porter, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound athletic freak, wowed scouts at the NFL Scouting Combine with an impressive 4.3 40-yard dash, along with a 1.49 10-yard split, as well as a 36.5″ vertical jump, a 10′ 11″ broad jump, and scoring a 9.99 RAS. The downside of him is that he’s a raw prospect because he started as a wide receiver in his first three seasons, converted to cornerback in 2022, and became a full-time starter in 2024.

Darien Porter had a great 2024 campaign, his first year as the full-time starting cornerback, and excelled in coverage. Porter recorded 18 tackles, three interceptions, and two pass deflections in 12 games and seven starts. He also gave up five receptions on 17 targets for 70 yards, zero touchdowns, and a jaw-dropping 4.7 passer rating in 203 coverage snaps per PFF. His efforts earned him an All-Big 12 honorable mention. 

He signed his rookie contract

The Las Vegas Raiders have signed Darien Porter to a rookie contract. According to Spotrac, the deal is for four years and is worth $6,720,182 with a $1,527,406 signing bonus. They also project that he will earn $1,221,851 in Year 1, $1,527,314 in Year 2, $1,832,777 in Year 3, and $2,138,240 with the chance of making extra if he reaches the Proven Performance Escalator’s playing time requirements or a Pro Bowl selection for Year 4.

Here’s Lance Zierlein’s scouting report on the athletic prospect

“Sixth-year senior with elite traits and special teams talent but only one year of starting experience at cornerback. Porter’s rep total is heavy on zone coverages but he has the athleticism, burst and speed to handle more man coverage.

“He has excellent zone awareness with the twitch and ball skills to expand his sphere of influence. He uses his length to shade downfield throws but needs to get stronger to improve his press, his contest and his tackling in run support.

“More schooling is needed as a pattern-matcher but his athletic profile and instant impact on special teams should create more confidence in projecting Porter’s continued ascension as a CB2/CB3.”