One of the biggest components of the Pittsburgh Steelers bringing in Patrick Peterson this offseason was his leadership ability. With the Steelers widely expected to draft a cornerback early in the draft, having someone like Peterson, a former All-Pro who’s been there and done that in the NFL, would be huge to mentor the young corner. The Steleers ended up drafting Joey Porter Jr. at No. 32 overall, and he and Peterson have seemingly clicked already. After today’s OTA session, Peterson told reporters, including Jeff Hatthorn of 93.7 The Fan, how he’s been helping Porter out so far.
“He’s a young guy that wants the knowledge. He wants the information. And when you have young guys like that, you just can’t help but to pour into them. Because I don’t know how many more years I have left, he’s a rookie, at some point, the torch is going to be passed to him. So I just want to continue to show him how to find his way,” Peterson said. “What may help him may be different from me. So I just want to continue to teach him how to find his way.”
Peterson said it’s clear that Porter Jr. comes from a football family. His father, Joey Porter Sr., played eight years for the Steelers.
“You can tell he came from a football background. His understanding of different schemes, different coverages, leverage,” he said. “Just his competitive edge he has a rookie, you can tell that he’s a guy that wants to get better and wants to be that guy eventually.”
Peterson has hinted that this contract with Pittsburgh will be his last in the NFL. If that is the case, he’ll have two years to mentor Porter before Porter likely takes over as Pittsburgh’s top cornerback. And it seems as if by then, he’ll be ready for that role. His football IQ is high, and he’s a guy who wants to learn. He talked after the draft about wanting to learn from Peterson, and Peterson is clearly a willing mentor. He’s a guy who hosted his cornerback room while with the Minnesota Vikings for dinner and film nights, and with a highly touted rookie cornerback in Porter he can help mold him into a highly talented NFL cornerback.
If Porter becomes that guy for the Steelers, he’ll have been a home run selection at No. 32 overall. He was someone who was widely expected to go in the first round but ended up falling into the second, where the Steelers scooped him up with the first pick of that round. His length and athleticism can make him a serious threat at the NFL level, but he does have a tendency to get too grabby at times. Hopefully, working with Peterson and the defensive coaching staff in Grady Brown, Teryl Austin and Mike Tomlin will help eliminate that aspect from his game and make him more refined.
I have little doubt that learning under Peterson will be huge for Porter’s development. The fact that he’s so willing to learn and listen while also maintaining his competitive edge speaks a lot to his future as a football player. It’s going to be exciting to watch his development.
