Film Don't Lie: Geordon Porter
As we hit November, the stretch run in recruiting is now rolling. This is the time that you hope to have most pieces in your class in place before finishing strong. Notre Dame is close to fitting all of the foundational pieces together for the 2018 class and inched further towards their goal with an addition at wide receiver.
Geordon Porter (California) is not considered a blue chip prospect, but he has the kind of traits Brian Kelly is looking for at the wide receiver position. This is a really nice pickup for the Irish to go with previous commitments Kevin Austin and Micah Jones. They all have different skill sets and now the staff only has to concentrate on adding one more to their group before signing day.
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 175
Projected Position: X (field) wide receiver
ISD Grade: 89
National Average Grade: 87.9
What he does best:
The first thing that stood out to me was how well he tracks the football. Porter does a great job of adjusting to the football in the air and has good body control. That’s so critically important because there are a lot of guys who are fast in a straight line, but struggle when it comes to finishing because the ball is not perfect. That won’t be the case with Porter.
You can see him track the ball over his shoulder here as well.
That’s something Will Fuller did really well. Sure, he had the speed to run by people. But it was the ability to make that kind of catch that made him the best deep threat in all of college football. When the quarterback puts the ball in the air, you just want to have someone who can find and finish. Porter can do that.
Is he a burner like Fuller? No, he is not. At least I don’t see it on film from him as a junior or senior. He has good speed and has a long stride that can eat up ground quickly. His 4.57 40 he had at The Opening Los Angeles feels like a time that is more reflective of his speed than the reported 4.4 times I have seen.
But just because he is not Fuller fast doesn’t mean he isn’t fast enough. Get him some space and he can do some damage with the football after the catch. One thing I have been impressed with from his junior to his senior year is his ability to break tackles. He’s not a down on first contact guy and will run through arm tackles.
He can be a weapon in the screen/short passing game because of this that can break the occasional big play, but more importantly should be able to do turn six yard catch into a first down with a little bit of room to work with.
I really loved seeing his effort as a blocker on some clips as well. That’s never a bad sign to see that from a young receiver when they typically care more about touchdowns than getting a big block.
What he needs to work on:
He’s not a good route runner right now. That’s pretty standard for most young wide receivers, but I don’t see a lot of discipline with him in that area because he can either run by corners at the high school level or is schemed open. I would have liked to see more of him working against man coverage and more of him being explosive out of his breaks.
I think a lot of being a jump ball receiver is natural. Some guys have it and some guys don’t. I didn’t see Porter high point the football and I wonder if that can be part of his game or not. I actually think it's more valuable to be able to track the football well than being able to just go up and get it, but it’s nice to have both in your pocket.
We’ll see if that can be added to what he already does well.
What’s his ceiling?
I think Porter has the potential to be a solid number two receiver. I don’t see someone that is going to be a go-to guy right now, but his ability to make plays after the catch and track the deep ball make him a valuable addition to the class.
I want to see more of how he will separate against elite corners, but the good news is that he can be open even when it appears he is not because of how he finds the football. I see him being a weapon on back shoulder throws and someone that they can take shots down the field with.
If he develops like he should, then having a career like former Irish receiver Chris Brown would be an appropriate projection for Porter.