Steelers Rookie Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. "Steady" Working After Not Cracking First Team Defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers will play their 2023 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The wait is finally over for Steelers fans and eager players, but for some, the wait may be a little longer to see extended playing time. Initial reports have rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. not cracking the first team for Week 1.

After having a solid preseason, Steelers second round pick Porter Jr. will not be starting on Sunday, instead he'll have to continue to prove himself to the coaches in order to gain a major role on the Steelers defense in 2023. Porter Jr. was selected by the Steelers as the first pick of the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Coming out of Penn State, he was looked at as one of the top corners in the 2023 draft class. For people around the league, it was a shock to see Porter Jr. drop all the way to pick 32. It was almost something straight out of the movies for Porter Jr. to land with the Steelers, now following in his dad's (Joey Porter Sr.) footsteps. 

As the Steelers prepare to face the 49ers at home on Sunday, Porter Jr. spoke to the media following team practice on Friday. According to Chris Adamski on X, he was asked how he's been adjusting to the NFL. He responded by acknowledging he still had space to grow and get better, while also believing there's no need to rush the process. 

"I came a long way, coming out of college, you think you know everything, but you really don't until you get out there with the other guys. The learning curve has been great for me. I've been picking up on everything I needed to do, now just steady keep working." 

Clearly Porter Jr. likes the way he is progressing so far following his first ever training camp and preseason in the NFL. It comes to no surprise however, that we won't see him on the field Sunday with the starting defense. Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin likes to make rookies prove themselves before being able to run out of the tunnel on a Sunday as a starter. We saw Tomlin's philosophy in full force in 2022 when quarterback Kenny Pickett wasn't initially the team's starting quarterback. Once again in 2023, we see Tomlin doing it again, with both first round pick Broderick Jones, and Porter Jr. not starting on Sunday. 

Porter Jr. played his high school football at North Alleghany Senior High School. He would be redshirted by Penn State in 2019, ending his freshman campaign after just 3 games. Therefore, Porter Jr. is used to waiting for his time to shine. In total, he would stay with Penn State for four years (2019-2022). During the span of his collegiate career, he would rack a total of 115 tackles. Along with 115 tackles, Porter Jr. would also be a Jim Thorpe Award finalist (Nation's best cornerback) during the 2022 season, as well as a Chuck Bednarik Award finalist (Nation's best defensive player). 

Despite all of Porter Jr.'s accolades, he lacked one major thing in college: interceptions. Despite his amazing man on man coverage and ability to knock the ball down with his long arms, Porter Jr. just seemed to never be able to reel in an interception. Over his career at Penn State, he would somehow only rack up one interception. 

Porter Jr.'s lack of interceptions in college could possibly be the reason he fell to the second round in the 2023 NFL Draft. Regardless, the Steelers front office and fans are ecstatic to have had the opportunity to draft such a stud in the second round. So far, he has done nothing but shine for the Steelers, even having his first NFL career interception when the Steelers faced off against the Buffalo Bills in preseason. After already tying the amount of interceptions he had in college, a new red flag has emerged for Porter Jr.: tackling. With many clips emerging during training camp of Porter Jr. missing easy open field tackles. 

This could also be another reason Porter Jr. isn't starting Week 1 for the Steelers. As it is, don't be too worried about Porter Jr.'s ability to tackle. Like he said himself, he's still in the early stages of development. It might take awhile until we see him actually look fluent in his play. Until then, we shall wait and see how well Porter Jr. is able to continue to adjust to the speed of the NFL.

What role does Steeler Nation believe Porter Jr. will have for the Steelers in 2023? Will he eventually make his way onto the field as a starter for the Steelers this year? Leave your thoughts down below in the comments!

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