Pittsburgh Steelers rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. logged as many defensive snaps in his NFL preseason debut on Sunday as the number on his jersey—24. He held up well, particularly in 17 snaps in coverage, credited with allowing two receptions on three targets for just 29 yards—and one milestone interception, the first of many, the 32nd-overall draft pick expects.
Asked what he is hoping to show in the Steelers’ preseason finale on Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons, “I just want to show everybody that this is not a myth, it’s not a hoax. It’s not a gimmick”, he told reporters on Tuesday, via the team’s website. “That’s how I play, that’s how I like to come out with a big bang like that with an interception and just really stay within myself”.
Porter’s interception was particularly significant after coming up with just one interception during his college career. That low total fueled pre-draft debate over whether he possessed the requisite ball skills to be considered a top cornerback prospect.
While he did fall just outside of the first round came out as only the fifth cornerback off the board, most believe that he wound up in the right place. Joey Porter Sr. was both a player and coach for the Steelers, during which time his eldest son spent his youth and then his teen years growing up around the organization.
Shortly following the draft, Porter admitted that he expected to be taken by the Steelers at 17 with their natural first-round draft pick. Instead, they traded up three spots in order to secure Broderick Jones, the man they identified as their future left tackle.
Neither party likely anticipated that he would still be on the board at 32, with three other cornerbacks going off the board in the meantime. But what’s done is done. He’s here now, and he has one consistent objective whenever he is on the field.
“Just the same thing every week, just to prove that I’m one of the top guys”, he said. “Or at least try to be”.
He’s off to a decent enough start. The rookie has been praised for his work during training camp, which he credits in part to working against some of the best wide receivers in the league every day in Diontae Johnson and George Pickens.
Porter’s hands are surely better than his one college interception might indicate. As a cornerback, you always want to fill up that particular column on your stat sheet, but you need to be targeted at volume to accumulate picks. He wasn’t always thrown at frequently during his Penn State playing days.
He can count on being tested early and often at the NFL level. Even the Buffalo Bills seemed eager to test him when he got on the field last Saturday after missing the prior week due to injury. He passed the first test in an exhibition game. Now he has to do it again when it counts, starting in September—his first “real” interception still awaits.
