Raiders rookie CB Darien Porter makes feelings known on mirroring Travis Hunter’s two-way dominance 

Cornerback Darien Porter spent his collegiate career with the Iowa State Cyclones. After declaring for the 2025 NFL draft, he was acquired by the Las Vegas Raiders in the third round with the No. 68 pick.

At a press conference following the first day of rookie minicamp, Darien Porter shared his thoughts about ex-Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter. The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Hunter after trading for the No. 2 pick and is expected to continue playing both sides of the ball professionally on the field.

Porter heaped praise on Travis Hunter's skills on both offense and defense. He dubbed him as a "special" player while talking about the possibility of mirroring his playstyle on the field.

"You know, he's a special player," Porter said via Vegas Sports Today. "It's not easy to do, you know, play on one side of the ball, playing offense and defense at an elite level. You know, you got to be pretty special. I think he's really awesome."

Porter added that he wouldn't mind playing the same two-way role for the Raiders as Hunter will for the Jaguars. However, he did highlight that ultimately, the decision is in the hands of head coach Pete Carroll.

On Friday, the Raiders finalized their rookie contract with the ex-Iowa State cornerback. Porter signed a four-year deal worth $6.72 million and will be paid $1.53 million as a signing bonus by the franchise. He is expected to develop his talents during his rookie campaign under the guidance of Jakorian Bennett and Eric Stokes.

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Darien Porter reveals biggest 'learning curve' in transition from wide receiver to cornerback

During the beginning of his collegiate career with the Cyclones, Darien Porter served as a wide receiver on the roster. After three seasons, he made the transition to cornerback ahead of the 2022 campaign before finally getting time as a starter last season.

At the Day 1 rookie minicamp press conference, he opened up about the challenges he had to face while making this transition.

"I think, just, you know, getting comfortable with the technique, like I said, I never really played the position. So I was kind of learning it as I was going. But really emphasizing the techniques at cornerback. But I take a lot of strides and I think I'm in a really good spot now and continuing to learn more too."

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Head coach Pete Carroll compared Porter's case to that of retired Super Bowl champion Richard Sherman. He also played wide receiver at Stanford before ex-head coach Jim Harbaugh transitioned him into the cornerback position after injury concerns.