We know well how the Pittsburgh Steelers and family go. And there are ample reasons beyond blood for the Steelers to have interest in Penn St. cornerback Joey Porter Jr., a likely first-round prospect later this month. But how alike is he to the father whose name he bears when he’s on the field?
“I’m more laidback and calm off the field, but when I’m on the field, I definitely have that in my game”, he told Rich Eisen recently when he was asked that question. “I love to talk trash. I feel like that’s part of my game, and it brings Joey to the fore a little bit”.
While his father was an outside linebacker and he is a cornerback, watching them play certainly draws some parallels in temperament and style. And we’ll have to take the trash talk at his word. Porter was a Hall of Fame trash talker, of course.
Eisen even shared the story of Joey Porter Sr. leading up to Super Bowl XL, during which time he spent the media week repeatedly going after Seattle Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevans—who did, by the way, go on to catch a touchdown in the game.
A third-round draft pick out of Colorado St. in 1999, Porter had a very good career, both in Pittsburgh and after he left. A four-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro in 2002, he actually had one of his best seasons in Miami two years after he left Pittsburgh, losing out for the Defensive Player of the Year to a man he would later coach, James Harrison.
He finished his career with 98 sacks, coming up just two shy of the century mark, of which 60 came in Pittsburgh. He had another 32 during his three years with the Dolphins and wrapped up with six more as a member of the Arizona Cardinals. He played in just six games his final season with just one sack due to injury.
Porter also had 25 career forced fumbles and 12 interceptions, plus 49 passes defensed (twice having 10 or more in a season), not to mention a safety. He added another six postseason sacks with a forced fumble and four passes defensed.
The younger Porter did not have the same kind of impact performance at Penn St., but that’s partly because teams shied away from throwing into his coverage. It’s hard to get interceptions without seeing many targets. He still recorded 11 passes defensed a year ago. He finished his college career with one interception. But he knows the player the team that drafts him will have on their hands.
“They get a top dog competitor that’s gonna bring it every time he steps on the field”, he said in describing himself as a football player. “They’re just gonna get a guy that’s ready to play, a guy that’s gonna be held accountable for his mistakes and trying to get the respect from the locker room”.
It sounds like somebody the Steelers could use. But that tends to be the case for most of the players who would be drafted in the area Pittsburgh would have to be selecting in order to bring the younger Porter into the fold.
