Saints Draft: The best press-man cornerback in the draft at No. 29
The New Orleans Saints need help at the cornerback position in their secondary. For the most part, their defense is pretty solid, but it could always get better, as not every position group is perfect. The one that needs the help is definitely the guys on the outside. They drafted Alonte Taylor last season, and […]
The New Orleans Saints need help at the cornerback position in their secondary. For the most part, their defense is pretty solid, but it could always get better, as not every position group is perfect. The one that needs the help is definitely the guys on the outside.
They drafted Alonte Taylor last season, and he showed some flashes of being a really good player in the future. But, he still isn't there yet, and it will still take a bit. However, he can be great.
They still need one more young guy to develop to give them the chance at having an elite secondary unit, and one of the more all-around groups in the defensive backfield.
Luckily now they have a higher pick after trading Sean Payton, and at pick 29, there are some great cornerbacks they can go and get.
One of the best cornerbacks in the draft, fourth best by Pro Football Focus standards, and 26th best player overall, could fall to the Saints at pick 29.
Joey Porter Jr., the cornerback from Penn State, could be the best in the draft class when it's all said and done, and by the way the tape looks, is the best press-man cornerback in the draft.
Porter Jr. has great instincts, and there is really nothing else to be said about it. He seems to know how to shade receivers perfectly when playing press-man. He is the guy that you want shadowing the other team's best receiver, and he has the speed, aggressiveness, control, and footwork to do so.
In 10 games this year for the Nittany Lions, he allowed just 143 yards on 30 targets, which is elite.
He has the size to play the aggressive press-man role too, at 6'2" and 198 pounds, he is big enough but still fast enough to keep up with receivers. He is a sound tackler in space and uses his length greatly when contesting 50/50 balls.
The only thing he would need to work on is his zone coverage, where he can sometimes be the reason a guy breaks the zone open. It doesn't happen too much, but Porter Jr. does have a tendency to get caught ball-watching.
Either way, he would be the perfect fit for an aggressive Saints defense.
Featured Image Via Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK
