Raiders Rookie with ‘Perfect Build’ Has ‘Rough’ Day at Practice

The transformation of the Las Vegas Raiders roster started from the top down this offseason with the organization naming Super Bowl winning head coach Pete Carroll as the new man in charge.

One of the things Carroll is tasked with improving is a secondary that was average throughout most of the 2024 season, which is why one NFL analyst has a Raiders rookie cornerback making an instant impact in 2025.

Raiders Rookie CB Darien Porter Expected to Have an Instant Impact by One NFL Analyst

Pete Carroll was the head coach of one of the most dominant secondary units of the last quarter century during his time with the Seattle Seahawks.

Well, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report sees some shades of a former legendary member of the Legion of Boom with Raiders rookie CB Darien Porter — who Sobleski believes can have an instant impact in 2025.

“Porter has the perfect build and play-style for Pete Carroll’s preferred defensive approach. Granted, the NFL has evolved since the Legion of Boom days, but the chance to field a physically imposing and long cornerback, who has the strength and aggressiveness to reroute wide receivers while shrinking throwing lanes, never goes out of style,” Sobleski wrote. “Carroll has been adamant about his willingness to play rookies. Porter invokes comparisons to the previous success the coach had with Richard Sherman, as 6’3″ wide receiver converts playing in his system.”

The ‘perfect build’ Sobleski could be referring to is Porter’s 4.3 speed on a 6’3” 195-pound cornerback prospect, which gave the Iowa State product one of the best athletic profiles at the position in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Sobleski added, “The Raiders need their initial third-round draft pick (68th overall) to step up early in his career, and Porter appears to be well on his way in doing so.”

The Raiders certainly hope Porter can factor into this cornerback rotation in 2025 alongside Eric Stokes, Jakorian Bennett, and Darnay Holmes — which should make for an interesting training camp battle at the position.

Darien Porter Has Some ‘Rough’ Moments Early in Training Camp

Tashan Reed of The Athletic mentioned on X multiple reps where Porter was the defender in coverage when Dont’e Thornton and Brock Bowers made big receptions during recent practices.

Reed’s post about Bowers getting the best of Porter on X read, “During RZ drills, Smith hit Brock Bowers for a nice over the shoulder TD grab. Darien Porter was in coverage. This has been the offense’s best day thus far.”

A rookie getting beat by Bowers shouldn’t be viewed as a huge red flag considering Bowers is arguably the best tight end in the league, but getting by a fellow rookie in Thornton feels a bit more noteworthy.

“Smith hit Donte Thornton for a long TD during team drills. He raced past Darien Porter,” read another post on X from Reed. “Great throw, route and catch.”

Every rookie is going to have some growing pains in their first taste of NFL action. These moments will be quickly forgotten if Porter can learn from them throughout training camp.

Porter has a ton of physical tools that suggest he can be an impactful player for this secondary. He is among the top Raiders players to monitor throughout the preseason.