Getty One analyst is calling for head coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers to explore a "perfect" scenario for 2023.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a few different needs they could address in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
But there’s one move the team could make that would be a lot more fitting than all the others — drafting Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
NFL draft expert Luke Easterling of USA Today projected the Steelers to do exactly that in his latest NFL 2023 mock draft entering Week 14.
“This [drafting Porter] would just be too perfect, right? The Steelers have other needs they could address here, but the value points them to the corner spot, where they could take the son of their former star linebacker,” Easterling wrote. “Porter plays his position with the same confidence, physicality and competitiveness that made his dad a Pro Bowler.”
Porter is the son of former Steelers All-Pro linebacker Joey Porter, who posted 60.0 sacks in eight years with Pittsburgh and helped the Steelers win the Super Bowl following the 2005 season.
Porter Among Top CB Prospects in 2023 Class
There’s obviously still a long way to go until draft day, but as of the end of the 2022 college football season, Porter is considered a top 5 prospect at cornerback in next year’s draft. Most draft experts project the Penn State cornerback to go in the first round.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Porter ranked as his top cornerback and 17th overall player in the class.
Kiper’s ranking suggests that the Steelers wouldn’t necessarily be getting value by taking Porter at No. 14 overall. Heading into Week 14, Pittsburgh holds the No. 14 selection in the 2023 first round.
But the Steelers have won three of their last four games, which has moved the team’s first-round pick down the draft board. With Pittsburgh’s remaining schedule and the improvement the team has made, it’s quite possible the team will continue to move down the board.
In all likelihood, though, the Steelers will be making their first-round pick somewhere in the middle of the round. That makes Porter going to Pittsburgh a possibility.
How Porter Fits With the Steelers
One of the weakest parts of the 2022 Steelers has been pass defense. Pittsburgh has allowed 255.1 passing yards per game this season, which is ranked 29th in the NFL.
Whether Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan attempts to fix the pass defense with secondary help or another pass rusher is the biggest question.
If Khan follows the same strategy as former Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, then Khan will likely add a pass rusher early in the draft. The Steelers have drafted one cornerback (Artie Burns in 2016) in the first round over the last 25 years.
But if Porter tests well during the offseason workouts, it may simply be too hard for Pittsburgh to pass on him. Satisfying a need with the offspring of a guy who spent 13 years with the Steelers as a player and coach will be a terrific story.
Another possible factor in Khan’s first-round decision is the free agency prospects of cornerback Cam Sutton. NFL analyst Marcus Mosher of Pro Football Focus ranked Sutton as one of the Top 25 cornerbacks in the league and the best in Pittsburgh this year. But Sutton will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Porter posted 11 pass defenses with 27 total tackles in 10 games with Penn State during 2022. Kiper wrote that “the testing numbers at the combine will really matter,” in where Porter will be ranked on team’s final draft board.