The cornerback position remains one of the bigger question marks looming over the 2023 Steelers. With the departure of stalwart Cam Sutton and the release of Arthur Maulet, there are going to be a lot of snaps up for grabs this season. One of the players looking to obtain as many of those snaps as possible is rookie CB Joey Porter Jr.
There’s been no lack of hype around the young Porter. He slipped to the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and the Steelers scooped him up with the 32nd overall pick, the one they received from the Chicago Bears in exchange for former WR Chase Claypool.
The question for Porter now becomes: what can he do for Pittsburgh this year? Very few are down on his potential long-term, but rookies often take a year or two to come into their own in the NFL. Cornerback is especially one of the harder positions to acclimate to for a young player. But Porter has a unique advantage that could give him a leg up in the acclimation department.
Former Steelers QB Charlie Batch shared his thoughts on Porter Jr. starting in year one on the first episode of Steelers All-Access.
“I really do, and here’s why. Because his dad coached here. He played here. The language and the verbiage of this defense has not changed. So it’s one thing to get coached in the building, but he’s actually getting that at home. So when you get to that particular point mentally, the game will slow down for him a lot faster than any other rookie on this team.”
Having a dad in Joey Porter Sr. who has been on both ends of the Steelers’ defense as a coach and a player could pay instant dividends for Porter Jr. Porter Sr. spent eight years with the Steelers as a player through the mid-2000s. Once he retired, he took over for four years as the outside linebacker coach. While that obviously isn’t his son’s position, as Batch points out, the way the defense is talked about is the same. Ideally, this aspect of acclimation will be much less of a worry for Porter Jr. than it would be for the typical rookie.
But while knowing the defense helps reduce Porter Jr.’s learning curve, ultimately everyone is going to know the defense by the end of training camp. The familiarity that Porter Jr. has with it should make him more ready than a traditional rookie, but if he starts, it’s going to be because of his talent and work he put in during camp and preseason
While only time will tell if Porter Jr. can obtain the starting role, he shouldn’t be counted out just because he is a rookie. After all, he’s far from your average rookie in Pittsburgh.
You can watch the full episode of All-Access here.
