The Pittsburgh Steelers kept their first pick of the second round and selected Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to bolster their secondary.
Porter is a legacy pick from Pittsburgh, the team that selected 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 touchdowns.
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Penn State cornerback Joey Porter, Jr. smiles during Senior Citizens Day ceremonies on November 26, 2022, at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A photo posted to Twitter Friday shows Porter Jr. in his father’s arms after the Steelers won the 2006 Super Bowl.
The Steelers needed help in their secondary despite adding Patrick Peterson in free agency. Porter Jr. should be an immediate fit as a press corner that head coach Mike Tomlin uses.
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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 10-foot-9 jump.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter celebrates after a play against the St. Louis Rams as rain falls during a game at Heinz Field on October 26, 2003, in Pittsburgh. (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
He became a starter for the Nittany Lions in 2021, but had his best 10-game season last year at Penn State. He defended 11 passes and didn’t allow a covered touchdown during that span.
Some believe that Porter Jr. having only one interception in four college seasons is a bad mark on his résumé, but others point to his solid NFL coverage and ceiling.
«He can’t change direction well, but he’s strong and physical. So you put pressure on him and let him play in the receiver’s pocket for the whole game,» an area scout for an AFC team told NFL Network about the corner.
Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. during the NFL Draft red carpet event on April 27, 2023, at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Porter Jr. is ready to make his mark in the NFL, and he will arrive in familiar territory.