Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. had an impressive training camp and preseason. He showcased ball skills throughout camp with two interceptions and even picked off a pass during preseason. Clearly, he’s worked hard at improving his hands. But for defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Porter’s technique is what has improved the most.
“I think the biggest place he’s grown the most is just the technique of an NFL [defensive back],” said Austin in an interview posted to Steelers.com. “But that’s like every college guy coming in. That’s the biggest area you have to grow because if you don’t you’re gonna get a ton of penalties and you’re gonna struggle. I think he had one [penalty] last week and really was kind of a minor thing when he was kind of bringing the guy in. He’s just gotta know to keep his arm off of him, but everything else he did was pretty good…I think that’s probably the biggest area is just the technique part of it is really been probably night and day from what he’s used to.”
Porter was the Steelers pick at 32nd overall in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft and is the player many are hoping to transform the Steelers cornerback room. Pittsburgh hasn’t drafted a high-level cornerback since Ike Taylor back in 2003, and there last good cornerback they drafted was Cameron Sutton in 2017. Sutton left in free agency this year and with him gone, there’s plenty of pressure on Porter to perform.
One of the biggest knocks on Porter coming into the NFL was his grabbiness. Porter is a press-man cornerback and he is very physical, using his length and size to his advantage. In college, you can get away with being more handsy down the field. In the NFL, you can’t. After five yards any use of hands on a receiver is going to be called and Porter has to make sure he reroutes the receiver before the five yards so he doesn’t get called for a penalty. He displayed good technique on his INT against the Buffalo Bills, rerouting and getting hands off before making the play.
In the NFL, teams and players are so good that giving away five yards for a defensive holding call, or even worse a defensive pass interference penalty is killer. It extends drives and gives teams with ultra talented players more tome to carve up defenses. The good news, is Porter doesn’t seem too grabby. In two preseason games, Porter has done a good job of not committing defensive holding or defensive pass interference penalties, barring the one against the Atlanta Falcons. In addition, Porter showcased his improved ball skills with his summer interceptions.
As Austin said, Porter’s technique is night and day and technique is so important for a cornerback, especially a press-man one. The physical tools Porter has should help him reach his ceiling which is an elite cornerback, but he will need to master the little things first. With the season getting under way in only two weeks Porter will still be trying to clean up and perfect his technique in practice before the San Francisco 49ers come to town.
