It wasn’t expected that Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. would fall out of the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The son of former Pittsburgh Steelers legend Joey Porter Sr., his slide was chronicled during the filming of the NFL Network series Hey Rookie, and the cameras caught a moment of wisdom from father to son.
“They want to see a pissed-off football player, now they got one,” Porter Sr. said via clip posted to NFL Films on Twitter at the conclusion of the first round. “Now you’ve been motivated to another level. Because we’ve got something to prove. And take it personal. Because you should.”
Porter Jr. responded to the clip with a tweet. “Always got my back! Through ups and downs!”
It worked out for Porter Jr., as he became the top pick of the second round and went to the Steelers, where his dad is still fondly remembered for his time as a player and a coach. He took his dad’s advice to heart, telling reporters after he was selected that now he’s got a chip on his shoulder after falling out of the first round.
Porter Jr. is going to be a good fit in Pittsburgh. Not only does he have the family name that’s legendary in Pittsburgh, but he’s joining a team that needs cornerback help and where he can be mentored by a potential future Hall of Famer in Patrick Peterson.
It can’t be fun for a prospect to be in the green room as Porter Jr. was and then hear 31 names get selected and not hear yours. It’s a tough environment to be in, but Porter Sr. would know what life is like in the NFL and stuff like that is just a reality in the business.
“I know anything can happen. I know how these drafts go,” Porter Sr, who was a third-round pick out of Colorado State in the 1999 NFL Draft, told his son.
His advice seemed to strike a chord with his son. Porter Jr. was all smiles after being selected by Pittsburgh at the top of the second round and said the long wait was “worth it” to be selected by the organization that he grew up around.
It’s going to be exciting to see Porter Jr. hit the field next week when rookie minicamp kicks off. He’s going to be competing for playing time with Peterson and Levi Wallace, but his physicality and length at the line of scrimmage should earn him some reps as a rookie. Hopefully, one day his name will go down in Steelers history just like his dad’s.
