The Pittsburgh Steelers made plenty of fans happy when they selected Joey Porter Jr at the top of the second round in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Penn State cornerback was destined to wear black and gold, following in his father's footsteps. Porter Jr was a hot topic in a recent interview involving his dad, Joey Porter Sr.
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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker and coach Joey Porter Sr.
On Thursday, Porter Sr appeared on the podcast All Things Covered with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden. Since Porter Sr was teammates with each of them, it was an easy conversation for all three of them. Everyone saw how upset Porter Jr was after not being taken in the first round, which prompted McFadden to start by asking Porter Sr what he was feeling during that moment.
"I seen him putting the pressure on himself as if he did something wrong and I'm like 'No we never have to live in that moment, I mean you did everything you were supposed to do.' So for me personally, I was just more wanting to try to help control the feelings that he was going through because he was feeling as if he let somebody down and I was like 'Man that ain't the issue,'" Porter Sr said.
This was Porter Jr's mentality after falling out of the first round, which shows his incredible work ethic. He was wondering if he didn't put enough work in to warrant a first-round selection. Porter Jr was the fifth cornerback off the board and is hungry to show why he should've been the first.
"We [McFadden and Peterson] both had the opportunity and the pleasure to play with you and I will say this, being with you early on in my career, we weren't very good, but you always had the right things to say. So with that being said, now with me being with Jr, how can I help him become a better player and a better cornerback," Peterson asked.
Not only does Peterson want to play well and help Pittsburgh win, but he also wants to look after Porter Jr and help him reach his full potential. Peterson signed a 2-year, $14 million contract with Pittsburgh in March, a contract that looks to be a great investment for the Steelers.
"You being exactly who you was, who I've been knowing since you came in, you don't have to do anything differently because he's going to follow. He already asked me the other day, 'Dad I need to get some golf clubs because Pat P wants to play golf,'" Porter Sr said.
Peterson has already begun to take Porter Jr under his wing. From the very brief practices that we have seen, Peterson has been there training with the cornerbacks. Porter Jr and Cory Trice Jr have already been seeking all the help they can get from Peterson in OTAs. Not only are the rookies on board. Peterson himself says he takes pride in mentoring them.
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Arizona Cardinals Cornerback Patrick Peterson
Peterson has embraced his role as both a player and mentor. He's complimented Porter Jr, saying the torch will be passed to him at some point. Both of the Arizona Cardinals' teammates have/will be a huge part of Porter Jr's rookie year. Porter Sr continued with his high praise of Peterson during the conversation.
"Just being you being authentic who you are, the way you work, I watched how you work when you were a young guy, and I watched how your career went this whole time. You've never lacked in your preparation, getting ready for a game and how you go about your business, it's always been one way with you the whole time, so the more he sees that it just matches up with what I've been telling and saying about you or how you are as a pro."
Porter Sr and Peterson were teammates in 2011, Peterson's first year and Porter Sr's last year. Porter Sr remembers that year in Arizona like it was yesterday. He shared a little story after Pittsburgh signed Peterson in March.
"So he's already coming in knowing exactly who you are, seeing you as a young kid, we talked about this a while back, and I was telling him, 'Man I raised Pat P, if Pittsburgh picked you up, how crazy would that be? I had Peterson as a rookie, and he gets to give some tools as you become a rookie, man that would be crazy.' And here we are right now, it's happening."
Everything ended up coming full circle, and now the Steelers have two great cornerbacks. After picking Trice Jr in the seventh round, Pittsburgh now has an underrated, but unproven, cornerback room. How will they look in 2023?
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Cory Trice Jr. (27) attends the NFL football team’s rookie minicamp in Pittsburgh Friday, May 12, 2023.
Steelers New Look Cornerback Room
Back on Wednesday, Peterson spoke with the media after OTAs. He explained how he and his teammates will be lining up, expressing that he is currently manning the left side of the field. Every cornerback on the roster can play several different positions in several different packages, so it will be interesting to see how the defense looks closer to week one.
Do you think Patrick Peterson will help Joey Porter Jr's transition to the NFL? How well do you see this cornerback room performing in 2023? Let us know in the comments below.
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