Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. continued his strong camp, stepping in front of WR Cody White and making a diving interception along the right sideline off QB Kenny Pickett to end a two-minute drill toward the end of practice. It was one of two interceptions Porter had on the day.
“I work on that drill basically every day before and after practice. Coming back to the ball, finishing, toe-tapping outside. We were in a cover three situation, it was scramble rules. I see the guy, he was looking down and I just trusted my instincts and went after it and got my two feet in,” Porter said about the play on Training Camp Wrap-Up via Steelers.com.
Porter’s been getting a lot of work in on the JUGS machine before every practice and is routinely among the first players on the practice field. That work has been paying off with multiple camp interceptions, and Porter is looking like every bit the player Pittsburgh thought they’d be getting when they stayed put to take him at the top of the second round.
In college, Porter didn’t necessarily show off his ball skills with just one career interception. While he used his length with 20 passes defensed, the lack of interceptions were a little bit of a concern pre-draft. So far at Saint Vincent College, Porter’s ball skills have been one of his major strengths. If that’s something that continues, he’ll see a lot of playing time this year.
With lots of veterans having the day off, Porter got a lot of playing time today and he continues to take advantage of the opportunities he’s getting. Even on reps he loses, like the one against George Pickens in which he made an incredible grab, Porter showed off good coverage. It seems as if he’s been a real standout at camp so far and someone who can make a major impact on the Steelers in 2023.
Porter’s been putting the work in and it’s paid off for him on the practice field. You want to see that out of your rookies, and Porter is ensuring that he’ll get on the field early and often with his camp performance.
