It was definitely a shocker to a lot of draftniks when the son of NFL legend Joey Porter and one of the top-ranked corners in the 2023 NFL draft tumbled out of the first round. Joey Porter Jr. was projected by many to be potentially as high as a top 15 pick, but for reasons still unknown he fell all the way down to his father’s team at the top of the second round, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In his first three games with Pittsburgh Joey Porter Jr. has been as good as many thought he had the ability to be, showing up each week as the number two corner and locking down anyone who has lined up across from him. In those games, Porter has allowed just one reception of 12 yards on just five targets, which has resulted in a quarterback rating of 39.6 when targeting the rookie.
ROOKIE CB JOEY PORTER MAKES THE GAME WINNING PASS BREAKUP!! pic.twitter.com/PK0XYMJUlB
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 19, 2023
Porter Jr. fits the mold of a Pittsburgh Steeler defender as a tough, physical, “play through the whistle” type of player, and has a high skill ceiling to match. If he can continue at his current pace, Porter could even be in talked for defensive rookie of the year given the way the defense as a whole has performed. Pittsburgh has seemingly struck gold by keeping to the bloodlines and has found itself the future at the cornerback position.
