When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Joey Porter Jr. in the 2023 NFL Draft, there was a lot of pressure put on the young cornerback. Not only was he arriving from a college in-state, he is also the son of a legendary Steelers linebacker, Joey Porter Sr. That sort of pressure can be a lot for a young player looking to acclimate to the professional game.
After the conclusion of the Steelers’ season with a wild-card playoffs loss to the Buffalo Bills last Monday, it’s apparent that the pressure was not too much for Porter. When head coach Mike Tomlin was asked about how he felt about Porter’s season and future at his end-of-year press conference, Tomlin had nothing but great things to say.
“I’m really excited about the trajectory of his career,” Tomlin said via video from the team. “Probably the most impressive component of where he is, [is] his mindset. He wants to fight, he wants the tough coverage. He’s extremely competitive in that way, and that’s a great place to build from. He’s got growth obviously ahead of him, but that’s real solid.”
Porter had to prove that competitive mindset right away during training camp. He was on the wrong side of an incredible highlight-reel catch by WR George Pickens that went viral that very afternoon. Rather than sulk about it, Porter showcased the mentality all great cornerbacks have. “Tomorrow, I’m gonna try and get mine,” he told reporters after practice that day. That only speaks to the mindset that Tomlin spoke about, wanting to fight for everything. He didn’t shy away from Pickens or get down on himself.
That mentality carried over into the regular season. While it took time for Porter to establish himself beyond a role player in the Steelers’ defense, he continued to work hard. When he got a chance at extended playing time versus the Baltimore Ravens in Week Five, he snagged an interception that helped the Steelers rally for a 17-10 win.
Then when it came time to play the best wide receiver in the AFC North, Porter wanted to match up with Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals. The results were a feather in Porter’s cap: Porter covered Chase on 85% of Chase’s routes (24 of 28) and only allowed two receptions for 34 yards. That’s quite the drop-off for a receiver who had 6.3 catches and 76 yards per game this season.
Porter played in all 17 regular-season games with 11 starts. He had the one interception against the Ravens and 10 passes defended to go with 43 total tackles and a tackle for a loss. Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, Porter allowed a 47.6 completion percentage on 63 targets and a 70.1 passer rating when targeted with only one touchdown allowed in coverage.
Porter wanted all the big matchups down the stretch, whether that was Chase or his teammate Tee Higgins, DK Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks, or Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills in the Wild-Card game. He did not shy away from any of it and continued to fight, drawing the admiration of his head coach and faith that improvement will continue for a player who was ranked among the Top 20 rookies in the entire league by an NFL.com analyst.
