The Pittsburgh Steelers had plenty of question marks at the cornerback position going into 2023. What new addition would fill the void left by Cameron Sutton, and could someone like Levi Wallace see increased playing time?
Questions still linger going into 2024, but 2023 seems to have produced at least one concrete answer in CB Joey Porter Jr. He impressed many in his rookie season, including Mike Tomlin, and seems to have a starting job locked in going forward.
Now, the attention turns to who his running mate might be in 2024 and beyond. One corner at this year’s Shrine Bowl believes he’s that guy.
Arkansas CB Dwight McGlothern (6013, 185), started college at LSU. After two seasons there, he transferred to Arkansas where he intercepted seven passes over two years, named to the All-SEC Second Team in 2022.
Sitting down with McGlothern in Frisco Texas, he believes there’s a comparison between himself and Porter.
“I used to like to watch Aqib Talib. That’s a pretty good dude.” McGlothern said. “I liked to watch his hands and how he played. I’d say Rasul Douglas, and from this past season, I’d say similarly Joey Porter in a way.”
McGlothern and Joey Porter do have similarities. Both fit the mold of lanky cornerbacks who use their length to be effective.
“He improved on press work big this season,” McGlothern said of Porter Jr. “My favorite press rep is when he went against Odell and caught that pick. That was a perfect rep right there. He won at the line at the end. I think that shows you right there how he improved.”
Both men also struggled with penalties in college. McGlothern was flagged ten times in 2022. But Porter proved those problems could be cleaned up throughout a college career and McGlothern followed suit. Though missing time to injury, in the eight games he suited up for, he didn’t commit a single penalty.
“It’d be a nice combo with similar players in a way,” McGlothern noted, regarding a potential teaming up with Porter Jr. in the pros. “Me coming in and bringing the ball skills that I have and wanting to make turnovers. It would be pretty cool.”
Getting the chance to watch McGlothern in person this week at practice, the number one thing that has stood out is how natural he looks catching the ball. Some cornerbacks look hesitant to snag the football in drills but McGlothern doesn’t show that fear. He’s smooth and makes the tough catches look easy. The football? It’s his. Not the receivers. Like this snag against LSU.
“I like to get my hands on the ball. I like to make turnovers, I like to celebrate,” he said. ”I’m catching the ball every time. I like to have fun. Every time I see the ball, I want to put on the show and make that catch like I’m a receiver whenever I’m a DB.”
His wide receiver background in high school shines through on defense. As the saying goes, if defensive backs could catch, they’d just play wide receiver. I asked McGlothern how he felt about that adage.
“I just prove it wrong whenever the ball is in my hands, you know?”
