2023 NFL Draft: Steelers kick off Round 2 with legacy pick in Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr.

The Pittsburgh Steelers stayed put with their first pick of the second round and selected Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to bolster their secondary. 

Porter is a legacy pick for Pittsburgh, the team that drafted his father, Joey Porter Sr., in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft as a linebacker out of Colorado State. 

Porter Sr. spent eight seasons with the Steelers, collecting 468 tackles, 60 sacks, 10 interceptions and eight fumble recoveries, two of which were returned for a touchdown. 

A photo posted on Twitter Friday shows Porter Jr. in his father’s arms after the Steelers won in the 2006 Super Bowl. 

The Steelers needed help in their secondary despite adding Patrick Peterson in free agency. Porter Jr. should immediately slot in as a press-man corner that head coach Mike Tomlin utilizes. 

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The 6-foot-2, 193-pound cornerback ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine while posting a 35-inch vertical and a broad jump of 10 feet, nine inches. 

He became a starter for the Nittany Lions in 2021, but he had his best season in 10 games last year at Penn State. He defended 11 passes and didn’t allow a touchdown in coverage over that span. 

Some believe Porter Jr. only having one interception over four collegiate seasons is a bad mark on his resume, but others point to his solid coverage and ceiling in the NFL. 

“He can’t change direction well, but he’s strong and physical. So, you put him in press and let him play in the receiver’s pocket all game,” an area scout from an AFC team told NFL Network about the corner. 

Porter Jr. is ready to make his mark in the NFL, and it will come in familiar territory.