One of the most notable draft picks in 2025 was Travis Hunter, picked No. 2 overall by Jacksonville after a trade with Cleveland, after a season in which he dominated at cornerback and excelled as a receiver for Colorado, and intends to play both in the NFL. The Raiders did not land Hunter, but they did pick an eye-opening cornerback who certainly shares some traits with Hunter: third-round pick Darien Porter.
At Iowa State, Porter was recruited to be a wide receiver and began with that career path. He was athletic and big (6-foot-3), and just before he was primed to take his spot with the offense after two years of waiting, Porter’s coach–Matt Campbell–approached him with an idea.
Why didn’t Porter try his hand at cornerback?
“Coach Campbell, our head coach, brought it up to me after we had some cornerbacks transfer away,” Porter said. “He knew with my athleticism, knew I would work hard and wanted to see where it could go. I was all for it. I wanted to see what I could do with it, too.”
Raiders Overhauled Secondary in 2025
Fast-forward three years and here’s Porter, not only having learned an entirely new position during his time in Ames, but also now in camp with the Raiders as one of their top picks in the 2025 NFL draft.
Not only that, but the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Porter is working out with the first team, alongside former first-round pick (of the Packers) Eric Stokes. The Raiders moved on from Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs in the offseason.
Writes beat man Vincent Bonsignore, “Based on the work he got in OTAs — he’s been working with the first team opposite Eric Stokes — Porter is either on the fast track to a major role or the Raiders are throwing as much as possible at him to help expedite his development.
“Either way, the length, speed and athleticism have captured everyone’s attention.”
It’s been a month-and-a-half since he was picked by Las Vegas, and Porter said he has been singularly focused since then–in fact, since all the way back to the combine.
“From after the combine up to this point, you’re doing everything you can to prepare for it,” he said. “As a rookie, you’ll have to adjust, but I think I’ve done everything I can and everything I could to allow myself to hit the ground running when I got here.”
Darien Porter More Than Athletic
Porter has done his best to be more than a novelty. He’s in camp with the Raiders to stick and now, he might even be a starter from Day One.
“Changing positions after three years in college, after playing receiver for three seasons then trying to pick up on corner, which I never really played before,” he said. “I think that’s about one of the hardest things you can do. And, you know, I think what has separated me and allowed me to get to this point was how hard I worked at it.
“Obviously, my athleticism would help me a lot, but I didn’t want to be the guy who had to rely on his athleticism. I wanted to be technical and I wanted to know everything I had to know.”
