STRENGTHS - Porter has excellent length and demonstrates good athleticism and COD when playing with proper base and leverage. He possesses the speed needed to make plays on the boundary as well as close in front from off and zone coverage. He gets good depth on his drops and does a nice job of jamming receivers through his area.
WEAKNESSES - Porter needs to add bulk to his frame, especially to his lower body. He tends to let blockers get on top of him and does not show good instincts or aggressiveness at the POA, particularly on run plays. He is a one-dimensional pass rusher that relies on speed to hit the edge and lacks refinement with his hands. He generally plays too upright which hurts his ability to change directions effectively and limits his agility in space.
SUMMARY - Sean Porter was a disappointing prospect to evaluate because he does not consistently play up to his athletic capability. When playing with proper knee bend and leverage he demonstrates good explosiveness and speed, but his bad habit of getting upright at the snap often renders him stiff and ineffective in space. At this stage he is a liability against the run as he struggled to read and react to runs at him before blockers can lock on and he does not give consistent effort in pursuit on plays to the boundary. He needs to improve his hand usage not only against blockers in the run game but also to set up a variety of moves on the pass rush. If he can learn to translate his physicality in man coverage to the rest of his game he clearly has the natural athleticism to start in the NFL, but as a rookie he will need to prove his value as a special teams player in order to see the field.