Tracy Porter: New Orleans Saints Make Good with Hometown Kid

Tracy Porter's life has been defined by dramatic moments.

Born to a working class family in Port Allen, Louisiana, (about 90 minutes from New Orleans), Tracy got a late start with football. He picked up the game as a junior at Port Allen High School, after realizing his 5'11'' frame wouldn't carry him to NBA fame.

Playing wide receiver, running back, and quarterback on offense and cornerback on defense, Porter garnered some local hype by earning All-District honors, but was largely overlooked by national recruiting outlets. 

Indiana University, a school known more for their basketball program, took a flier on the skinny kid from Lousiana, offering him a scholarship in 2004.

To everyone's surprise but his own, Porter burst onto the collegiate scene that fall. He was one of only two true Hoosier freshman to see playing time in 2004 and managed to collect three interceptions on his way to being named to the Big-Ten All-Freshman team.

His fantastic Freshman season was only a sign of things to come, as Porter finished his IU career second in interceptions, with 16 and first in interception return yards with 413.

Entering the 2008 NFL Draft, there were no questions about Porter's athleticism, but plenty about his size. In a league where the big, physical receiver (ala Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson) is in vogue, smaller, shiftier cornerbacks are finding jobs harder to come by.

However, when Tracy Porter ran a 4.37 40 at the Combine and had the 4th fastest shuttle time of anyone player there, the scouts were forced to acknowledge him.

Drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft, the Saints coaching staff was expecting Porter to be an instant impact rookie. Those expectations were dashed when he broke his wrist in week five, ending his season. 

The 2009 season saw many peaks and valleys for Porter. Often, opposing quarterbacks targeted the young corner, as Jabari Greer cemented himself as one of the premiere defensive backs in the NFL on the other side.

Porter's hard work and unrelenting belief in himself came to fruition during a 74-yard interception return for a touchdown in Super XLIV, which effectively ended the Indianapolis Colts' dreams of another world championship.

Holding his one-year old daughter after the game, Porter exuded a sense of peace. It was at this moment that he had finally arrived. The undersized, inexperienced corner that couldn't, finally did.