With much of the attention centered on him being back at the place he once stayed to watch his father practice and prepare for many seasons as a Pittsburgh Steeler, rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. made sure the overplayed off-field storylines were put on the back burner on Day One of Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
Porter, who is viewed as the next true No. 1 corner for the Steelers long-term, hit the ground running in impressive fashion Thursday on Chuck Noll Field, more than holding his own as a young cornerback against a talented wide receiver corps.
Getting plenty of first-team reps, Porter displayed the physical presence within his coverage technique, showed good long speed to run step for step with guys, and really had a strong first day overall.
According to Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora, who was at training camp Thursday, Porter had one of the best individual reps of the day in coverage against second-year wide receiver Calvin Austin III.
— One of the best individual reps of the day was Joey Porter Jr. running step for step down the right sideline to blanket Calvin Austin III on an incomplete pass. It’s just 7v7 but that’s even harder for defenders to succeed and Porter did here.
Porter flashed quite a few times throughout his first day of training camp, earning praise at the end of Kozora’s Day One Training Camp Diary, though he did note that it is just one day.
– Nice day for Joey Porter Jr., using his size/length/speed profile to his advantage on a couple reps. Good start for him but it’s just that: a start. Also worth noting that with just one career interception at Penn State, he’s spending a lot of time getting reps catching the ball. Before practice, getting on the JUGs machine, and he even would get in two to three soft tosses with DC Teryl Austin during team sessions as the defense broke the huddle and was waiting for the o-line to get to the line.
It is just one day, but it’s a good start for Porter.
He’s under a lot of external pressure from the fan base and media due to his name, whether that’s fair or not. While that might seem a bit much and a little unfair, considering he’s his own player, his confidence regardless is sky high trusting in his abilities and knowing he’s a Steeler for his play alone, rather than his name or connection to the franchise from his youth.
“They got me for being me. They know who I am, they know how I play, so I don’t have to really change nothing about how I play or my style,” Porter told reporters Thursday following practice, via video from the Steelers’ official YouTube page. “So that’s what I’m walking in with, with just a lot of confidence like I usually do.”
That confidence was on display throughout Thursday’s first practice in Latrobe. He’s in a great situation for his development, too, allowing that confidence to flow.
A strong, press-man cornerback who thrives with physicality within the routes, Porter landed in a good situation that will play to his strengths. The Steelers were looking for a cornerback with press-man abilities who can thrive on an island, much like cornerback Cameron Sutton did in the Steel City before departing for the Detroit Lions in free agency.
Porter landed in a rather ideal spot for early playing time, and not only that, the scheme fits him quite well. Add in the fact that he’s home and stepping into a facility he knows well with faces he’s familiar with and it’s really hard to see how it will be anything but ball for Porter right away in 2023.
