Self-confident Penn State defensive back Joey Porter Jr. made his father proud at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday, touting himself as the best corner in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“I feel like I’m CB1 for a reason,” Porter Jr. said in a 15-minute media session in Indianapolis. “I feel like I’m the best corner here. I’m here to show my talents and prove why.”
Porter Jr. finds himself at the top of a deep and talented class of cornerbacks that includes Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, Illinois’ Devin Weatherspoon and Georgia’s Kelee Ringo, all viewed as likely first-round picks.
Porter Jr.’s father, Joey Sr., was an outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers and also played for the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals in 13 NFL seasons. He was a four-time All-Pro — and first-team all-attitude.
Porter Jr. is highly physical and aggressive, especially for the cornerback position, has great size at 6-foot-2, 195 and stacks swagger the way his old man stockpiled sacks (98.0 in his career).
Trained on the Steelers’ practice fields, Porter Jr. said he used to practice coverage technique and fundamentals covering Antonio Brown. He played basketball with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin’s sons and naturally would appreciate landing in Pittsburgh on draft day. The Steelers drafted Joey Porter Sr. in the third round in 1999 and he played for the team through the 2006 season.
Porter Jr. isn’t all talk. He didn’t allow a touchdown in press coverage last season and Pro Football Focus calculated opponent QB rating against Porter in press coverage at 58.0.
But new general manager Omar Khan won’t have the luxury of adding this Porter in the third round. Based on most draft projections, Khan would be fortunate if Porter was still on the board when Pittsburgh is scheduled to use its first pick at No. 17.
“I think it would mean a lot to my family. Been in the Pittsburgh area a while, staying home would mean a lot,” Porter said.
Porter said he models his game and style after former Seahawks and 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman and Rams corner Jalen Ramsey.
The Steelers are dedicating plenty of time and energy to visiting with cornerbacks in this draft class. Gonzalez, projected as a top-10 pick, said he was blown away by his meeting with Tomlin and paused his combine itinerary to call his father to inform him the Steelers’ coach was “even cooler than we thought.”
Gonzalez also said he came away wide-eyed from a meeting with the New England Patriots, calling head coach Bill Belichick “a legend.”
–Field Level Media
