Former Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. will have one of his dreams come true next month when he’s drafted.
Where Porter goes is anybody’s guess, but he’s going to go somewhere, and chances are it will be in the first round.
One of the, oh, 20,000,000,000 benefits of being an NFL Draft pick is getting the chance to be in a Madden game.
Porter will be in Madden NFL 2024, he announced on Twitter Tuesday night in an 18-second video.
A dream come true…they put me in #Madden23
@eamaddennfl | #EAathlete pic.twitter.com/Y0s7RwnJ1o— Joey Porter Jr. (@jjporter_1) March 9, 2023
“EA Sports, I’m in a game,” a smiling Porter said, paying homage to the company’s legendary slogan, “let’s go.”
Madden 24 won’t be the first game with somebody named Joey Porter in it. Porter’s father, Joey Porter senior, was an All-Pro and Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, also playing with the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals over 13 seasons. The elder Porter was a third round pick (73rd overall) of the Steelers out of Colorado in 1999.
His son is projected to go much higher. There are talks about the younger Porter going to his dad’s old team. The Steelers have two first round picks, selecting at No. 17 and No. 32. Porter participated in the NFL Combine last week.
Most notably, he ran the 40-yard dash twice, with a top time of 4.46 seconds. The 4.46 time was the 14th best of 29 cornerbacks. Porter also had a 10-yard split time of 1.5 seconds (second best among CBs), a 35” vertical jump (19th) and a 10’9” broad jump (12th). The NFL gave Porter a 6.43 grade for his efforts.
Wherever Porter goes in the NFL Draft and however his pro career turns out, his legacy as one of the best Penn State corners ever is secure.
Despite missing three games this past season— including the Rose Bowl, which he opted out of— Porter ended the year with eight pass breakups.
He earned unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honors and was named a second-team All-American by multiple outlets.
Porter’s position coach, Terry Smith, detailed his pupil’s development in a Zoom session with reporters last October.
“He’s done a tremendous job,” Smith said. “He’s worked his tail off. This guy’s constantly in the weight room, out on the field. In the meeting room. Everything that he’s getting, he’s absolutely worked hard and deserved to get.”
