The top moment of the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp, the ones that’ll still have fans buzzing years from now, was WR George Pickens’ incredible one-handed catch against rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. during a 1-on-1 drill in the first day in pads. Porter had strong coverage, but Pickens reached all the way back, body parallel with the ground, and made a one-handed snag.
Later in camp, the hosts of The Pivot – Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder, made a trek to Saint Vincent College to interview the Porters, both Joey Sr. and Joey Jr. While no longer officially with the team, Porter Sr. attended several practices this year to watch his son go through his first NFL camp. Naturally, Clark and company had to ask what went through Senior’s head as he watched Pickens make a viral play on his son.
“First of all I was laughing that it was a good catch,” Porter told the show. “When he made the catch, I was like ‘Ooooh, wow, that was a crazy catch.’ I told him, ‘You know you’re going up on SportsCenter?’ That catch was lightning.”
For Pickens, it might have felt more routine. He even admitted it may not fall into his top-five grabs and he made an equally ridiculous grab in the regular season last year against the Cleveland Browns. Pickens against Porter was a fun training camp battle, the two constantly jawing and talking. Before that moment, Porter had broken up a pass intended for Pickens earlier in practice, Porter trash-talking Pickens for it after the fact. Minutes later, Pickens got his revenge.
Porter Sr. compared the moment to the catch DeAndre Hopkins had on Joe Haden, a sick one-handed grab over Haden in the end zone back in 2017. Porter Sr. spent 13 years in the NFL and knows the league will humble you, no matter how good you are.
“You’re gonna see more acrobatic catches ’cause these dudes are just getting that good,” he said.
Pickens has made most cornerbacks he’s gone against look bad before, and it’s no slight on Porter Jr. Despite battling a minor ankle injury, the younger Porter had a fine training camp, showcasing his length and good hands that he’s worked on every day in practice. He’s set to make his NFL debut tomorrow night against Buffalo.
After Pickens’ grab, he handed the ball back to Porter, who responded by tossing the ball back at him. A teachable moment for both sides, those actions would be taunting penalties in the NFL, though it speaks to the competitive nature of the moment. Based on how intense things were getting, it’s a surprise there was no skirmish, no pushing or shoving. But Porter Sr. thinks his son was just trying to figure out what just happened.
“When he came over there, I was just watching his body language. When [Pickens] threw the ball, he threw it back. But he was so mad, he’s still wondering ‘how did this dude catch the ball?’ He couldn’t even think about getting the ball thrown at [him].”
To his credit, Porter Jr. said he was happy with his defensive positioning on the play and took the moment in stride, though his father was proven right that the play was immediately shown on every sports channel and social media outlet. Porter Jr. said if he forces receivers to make insane grabs like that, he’s doing his job.
Porter Jr. and Pickens will make each other better not only this summer but this fall and onwards. Check out the episode of the whole conversation below.
