It’s clear who the Buccaneers' top target should be on Day 2 of NFL Draft

Improving the secondary is a key priority for Tampa Bay this offseason, and the front office is likely to add multiple defensive backs in the 2025 NFL Draft to address one of their weakest units. When scouting this year's cornerback class, one prospect, Iowa State's Darien Porter, stands out as a perfect fit for the Buccaneers.

Darien Porter is a cornerback prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, currently projected as a day two selection, who fits just about every need the Bucs have at a key position.

Porter enters the draft as a sixth-year senior, but only a one-year starter. He was listed as a wide receiver at Iowa State from 2019 to 2021, but served primarily as a special teams player before making the switch to cornerback.

A developmental project with just one season of starting experience who is already 24 years old will understandably cause pause for some-but the upside Porter offers is undeniable.

In 2024, his lone season as a full-time starter for the Cyclones, Porter was only targeted 17 times, allowing just five catches while notching three interceptions. Porter allowed a completion percentage of only 29.4% and a 4.7 passer rating when targeted, demonstrating lockdown potential.

He also registered a whopping five blocked kicks (four punts, one field goal) in his college career, and if he doesn’t step in as an immediate defensive starter in Tampa Bay, he will at minimum contribute as a key asset on special teams. 

Why Darien Porter is a Fit for the Buccaneers

Measuring in at over 6’2’’ and 195 pounds, and boasting 94th percentile arm length along with a blazing 4.3 40-yard dash time, Porter is an athletic freak and has the size and speed the Bucs covet in their cornerbacks.

As a prospect, Porter profiles similarly to Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum, who the team drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. McCollum was also a raw, developmental prospect that was hailed for his athletic profile and the upside he presented as a result of it. 

Since drafting McCollum as a project just a few years ago, he has improved massively and developed into arguably the team's best and most reliable cornerback-and the team could be tempted to take another swing on a similar boom-or-bust prospect.

McCollum ranks as the no. 1 cornerback prospect of all time per Kent Lee Platte's Relative Athletic Score, a system used to rank prospects by comparing them to other draft prospects throughout recent history at their position, based on their percentiles in physical measurements and athletic testing.

Porter ranks as the no. 5 most athletic cornerback prospect of all time per the RAS system, and together, he and McCollum would form the most athletic, high-upside cornerback duo in the NFL.

NFL Analyst Lance Zierlein compares Porter to Seahawks Tariq Woolen, another developmental cornerback prospect with high-end athleticism that found success in the NFL.

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

The big knock against drafting Porter as early as round two or three is that as a one-year collegiate starter, he is still very raw and needs to continue to develop before he can be relied on as a starter in the NFL.

If Porter were a couple years younger, he might have legitimately generated some first-round buzz. But at 24 years old and after six college seasons, teams would prefer a player to be more pro-ready. 

Luckily for the Bucs, from a personnel and coaching perspective, they are in the perfect position to gamble on a high-upside prospect like Porter. 

If Porter needs to use his rookie season to focus on his development, the Bucs have Dean and McCollum penciled in as their starters in 2025, and Porter can learn behind them and eventually compete for the full-time starter role opposite McCollum in the near future.

Bowles, a defensive guru and former defensive back himself, has a knack for developing talented young defensive backs. McCollum, Dean, and Antoine Winfield Jr. are examples of current Bucs defensive backs who have seen tremendous results under Bowles’ tutelage, and there is no reason to think he wouldn’t be able to find similar success in developing Porter.

Porter is a perfect match for what the Bucs are looking for at the cornerback position, and if they have a chance to draft him on day two, they should sprint to the podium and secure an exciting future for the secondary in Tampa Bay. 

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