The name Joey Porter should sound familiar to you, especially if you are a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
Joey Porter played as an outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1999-2006, being named a first team All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler during his time in the Black and Gold. Porter logged 84 sacks, 42 pass deflections, 17 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries, ten INTs, and two defensive TDs during his time in Pittsburgh, being most-known as a member of a stout defensive unit that helped propel the Steelers to win Super Bowl XL.
However, Porter now supports his son, Joey Porter Jr., who enters the 2022 college football season as a draft eligible prospect at cornerback. After Porter’s performance against Purdue this past weekend, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine named Porter one of his seven players shooting up draft boards and listed his father’s former team as a team that should be taking notice.
“According to PFF’s numbers, Porter forced six incompletions, tied for the highest in a Power Five game since 2014 when they started tracking the stat,” Ballentine said on Porter’s performance. “Porter still has some room to grow. He barely missed an interception that became a first down for Purdue. But it’s hard not to be impressed by his aggression and length. He also registered eight tackles. He’s a great fit as a boundary corner who can deal with bigger receivers and help out in the run game. He’ll be a regular in first-round mock drafts after that performance.”
Porter finished the game with eight total tackles, six PBUs, and a fumble recovery. On the stat sheet, it was a strong performance for the CB who utilizes his long, frame and lanky wingspan to contest passes in coverage, challenging bigger receiver at the catch point to come down with difficult grabs. He also showed willingness as a tackler, chopping down ball carriers down low as they attempted to pick up yardage after the catch.
However, While watching the game, I personally saw plenty of occasions where Porter struggled with quickness across from him, losing separation early at the top of routes to shiftier WRs given his long frame. He also was pretty grabby throughout the contest, getting called for pass interference and likely could have gotten flagged more if he was playing with NFL officials rather than at the college level.
I definitely see the intrigue in Porter as a long, press man/Cover 2 style CB, but he needs to continue to refine his technique and convert more of his pass breakups into turnovers before he can be considered a Day 1 prospect. I completed a summer scouting profile on Porter a few months ago, seeing similarities between his game and Trevon Diggs from the Cowboys as long, lanky CBs that can rack up PBUs and get their hands on the football, but also give up just as many plays as they make. You can check out my profile on Porter here:
The Pittsburgh Steelers could be in the market for a CB in the 2023 NFL Draft with Cam Sutton becoming a UFA after the season. Given the Power 5 ties and the bloodlines, it shouldn’t be a shock if Pittsburgh is interested in Porter during the pre-draft process. However, I personally would look to him as more of a mid-round prospect at this juncture than a first-round talent some make him out to be unless he continues to build off Saturday’s performance.
