DK Metcalf Teaches Joey Porter Jr. His Toughest NFL Lesson Yet

Joey Porter Jr. had put together an exceptional rookie season. The rookie, despite penalties, put together a season of shadowing top receivers and locking them down like it’s no one’s business. But for the first time on Sunday against the Seahawks, that came to an end.

It had to happen eventually. DK Metcalf schooled Joey Porter Jr. for most of the game, and he shadowed him. Yet, Metcalf put up over 100 yards, and when Porter was on him, he got three catches for 86 yards. It was the most yards allowed by Porter this season in one game.

Porter stood tall at the end of the game with two end zone shots thrown his way, though Metcalf has caught the second one 100 times in his career before. Still, the length of Porter is a disruptor. However, he was a net negative today in an undermanned secondary. Metcalf blocked Porter out of plays many times, and throughout the day, Porter generally looked a step slow at recognizing everything going on in front of him.

Yeah, he’s a chippy dude,” Porter said. “Trying to be physical with you before and after the play. I didn’t let it affect me too much. There was a little bickering before in the first half, but second half, I felt like I really locked in and started playing good football.”

Naturally, it was going to happen. Porter would have a game where he felt flat and could not erase an opposing top receiver. Now, it’s on him to respond to this level of physicality and speed in the future. That’s his next goal as a player, and it will likely come in the offseason by getting stronger and strengthening his technique.

It’s a tough lesson to learn for Porter. But Metcalf is a rare type of player that he will not see much of in the NFL. Still, lockdown cornerbacks are what they mean. Porter has plenty of steps to take with his technique before he can take the next leap up the rung for cornerbacks in the NFL, but the rookie is learning baptism by fire.