If the Pittsburgh Steelers end up trading cornerback Joey Porter Jr., one of the more likely trade fits would be the Detroit Lions. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report predicts the Lions will trade a 2027 first-round pick for the services of the young, up-and-coming cornerback.
Detroit Lions Predicted as Landing Spot for Joey Porter Jr.
Porter is entering the last year of his rookie contract. So far, the Steelers and the former number 32 overall pick have not been close to an agreement. Knox notes that rather than letting Porter play out the last year of his deal, the team should trade him.
“If things get to a point where the Steelers don’t believe they can keep Porter, flipping him for a high 2027 pick will become an option for them,” wrote Kay.
Meanwhile, Detroit is likely desperate enough to make a move based on their needs at cornerback.
“The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, could be prompted to make an aggressive move for a defensive difference-maker like Porter,” wrote Kay. “After missing the playoffs in 2025, the Lions are undoubtedly eager to get back to the top of the NFC North mountain. They could also use a new starter after parting with 2024 first-round pick Terrion Arnold this offseason.”
The team was going to use this season to decide whether to give Arnold a big extension. Now, they can use the year to see if Porter is worth the money that Pittsburgh did not want to shell out.
Lions Have a Need at Cornerback
As things stand, the team has a need on the outside. Arnold left them a bit thin. Rock Ya-Sin is expected to start. However, he is entering his eighth NFL season and has just 45 career starts.
He has just seven starts in the past three seasons. Now, he is entering his age 30 season and has questions about whether he can stick in the lineup for a full season or if teams will target him too often and the team will get burned.
Both Roger McCreary and Keith Abney have experience on the outside, but at the same time, both of them are mostly working in the slot.
They have Ennis Rakestraw behind Ya-Sin, but the second-round pick has only been active in eight games during his first two NFL seasons. So, there are questions around the depth, and things can get thin pretty quickly.
More than that, this is a Detroit team that has the ingredients to make a run. They have a lot of talent on offense, and they revamped their defensive line. If the secondary can come together, they will be one of the best teams in the NFL.
So, this can make the desperation worthy of a significant draft investment right before the start of the season.
Lions Predicted to Trade 1st-Round Pick for Star CB