The cornerback class in the 2023 NFL Draft was a deep one, with four going in the first round and seven going in the second. Still, Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr, who was often regarded as a first-round prospect, saw himself fall out of the first round altogether right into the lap of Pittsburgh, which owned the top pick in the second round thanks to a trade with the Chicago Bears. Despite numerous offers to move off the pick, the Steelers held fast and made Porter a legacy pick, following in his father’s footsteps as a member of the Black and Gold.
While Porter was the fifth CB drafted this spring, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports believes that Porter will be more productive than several of the names drafted ahead of him, putting him at second overall in his rankings of the most productive rookie CBs in 2023.
“The interceptions didn’t come often — he only had one with the Nittany Lions — but Porter registered 11 pass breakups in 2022 on just 30 throws in his target area,” Trapasso wrote. “In short, it was rare that quarterbacks tested Porter, and it wasn’t a prudent decision when they did. He didn’t allow a touchdown all year. Now he’s on a Pittsburgh defense with T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward pressuring the quarterback. Porter has the length, natural mirroring talent, and ball skills to rock as a rookie.”
Christian Gonzalez was the only CB ranked ahead of Porter and was drafted by the New England Patriots at #17 overall, the pick the Steelers previously had before they traded with New England to jump up a couple of spots to select Georgia OT Broderick Jones.
Porter was ranked above Emmanuel Forbes of the Commanders and Deonte Banks of the Giants: two guys that were selected ahead of him in the 2023 NFL Draft. Trapasso makes a good argument in the case of Porter as he deflected over 1/3 of the targets he faced last season, a ridiculous percentage when stacked up against most cornerbacks. His sheer size, length and speed (6’2, 34-inch arms, 4.46 40) speak to the range he has in coverage and how he can engulf receivers at the catch point, minimizing passing windows for the ball to arrive to its intended target.
Porter needs to show he doesn’t need to rely as much on grabbing opposing receivers and do a better job of turning some of those pass deflections into picks. He should have every opportunity to post a productive 2023 campaign, barring he gets onto the field in short order. One would imagine that Porter will see time in sub packages should Patrick Peterson kick inside to the nickel, but if Porter can somehow beat out Levi Wallace for the outside starting job in Pittsburgh’s base defense, Porter will have the snaps and action coming his way to live up to Trapasso’s ranking.
