When the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. with the first pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, many believed that they were getting a steal.
Rightfully so. Numerous draft analysts (including myself) believed that Porter would be Pittsburgh’s first-round selection at #17 overall, taking him to help address the future of the CB position while bringing him home as the son of former Steelers great OLB Joey Porter Sr. The Steelers ended up trading up to secure Georgia OT Broderick Jones, but watched as Porter slipped right into their lap at the beginning of the second day of the draft, landing a player they highly coveted.
With veteran CB Patrick Peterson holding down one of the outside CB spots, the other perimeter spot appears up for grabs heading into the 2023 season with Porter and veteran CB Levi Wallace likely battling it out for the job. Speaking on 93.7 The Fan Morning Show Wednesday, the PPG’s Ray Fittipaldo mentioned that he believes the two will have a legit depth chart competition this summer with the rookie having a realistic chance to beat out the veteran.
“I think Joey’s going to have a chance to unseat Levi Wallace in training camp,” Fittipaldo said. “If not in training camp, first month of the season or so. He’s the guy who had a first-round grade on him. They got him with a first pick in the second round, and he’s a guy that they want to use on the outside. He’s long, you know? They could play different coverages with him because he can disrupt guys at the line of scrimmage. They really haven’t had that the last couple of years.”
Porter was touted as a first-round prospect by many draft evaluators, having the size, length, and athleticism you look for in a prototypical CB1. His long arms and ability to recover make him a PBU machine, having recorded 11 pass breakups last season. He also is a physical tackler as a defensive back, showing willingness to come up in run support which Pittsburgh highly covets in their CBs. Still, Porter isn’t the most fluid athlete when it comes to quick changes of direction and must cut down on his tendency to grab opposing WRs to avoid drawing penalty flags at the next level.
In regard to Wallace, Fittipaldo believes that he had a solid first season with Pittsburgh in 2022, but is capped in his upside compared to what Porter can become.
“Levi Wallace is a good player,” Fittipaldo said on Wallace. “I thought he stepped up, like when Ahkello Witherspoon struggled last season and he struggled with injuries, Levi Wallace came in and did a fine job. But I sort of view him more as a number three than the number two.”
A former undrafted free agent out of Alabama, Wallace has carved out a nice NFL career for himself. He started 52 games across four seasons in Buffalo before signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers last March, posting a career-high four INTs while notching another 13 PBUs. Still, while Wallace is dependable as a starting CB, he lacks that high-end athleticism you like to have in defensive backs who are tasked with covering some of the alpha WRs in the league like Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, being a tad slow in terms of long speed as well as not having noticeable twitch in short spaces.
Should Porter show that he is better than Wallace right out the gate in training camp and in preseason action, I do believe that Pittsburgh will have no hesitation to roll him out there Week 1 against the 49ers as the starter. However, if it is close or if Porter shows he needs more time to adjust to the speed of the game, it would make a lot of sense to roll with Wallace, who is steady and dependable, lacking the high-end upside but having a stable floor.
