The Pittsburgh Steelers moved on from Joey Porter Jr. last week. CBS Sports already has an idea for how they could replace him.
Pittsburgh sent Porter to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2028 second-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick, ending a contract standoff that had stretched through the offseason and into the first month of the regular season.
That created both an immediate and long-term question at cornerback.
In his latest first-round projection, CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson has the Steelers using the No. 8 overall pick on Clemson cornerback Ashton Hampton, one of the top defensive backs in the 2027 class.
Ashton Hampton Tabbed as Joey Porter Jr. Replacement
Wilson ranked Hampton as the No. 8 overall prospect and No. 2 cornerback in the class. At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Hampton also gives Pittsburgh the type of size it just lost with Porter.
Wilson didn’t dance around the reason for the pick.
“Hampton has been one of the few bright spots for Clemson this season, and whether the Steelers miss Joey Porter Jr. or not, they need to reinforce the cornerback position,” Wilson wrote.
Hampton entered the season after a breakout sophomore year in which he recorded 47 tackles, 11 pass breakups, one interception and one sack while starting all 13 games for Clemson.
His junior season hasn’t gone as well from a team standpoint. Clemson is 3-2 after a 41-13 loss to Miami on Oct. 3, with its other loss coming in a 51-10 rout against LSU.
Hampton has still found ways to stand out.
He intercepted LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt on the second play from scrimmage in the opener and had seven passes defensed over Clemson’s next three games. He entered 2026 with 77 tackles, 17 pass breakups and three interceptions over his first two college seasons.
Steelers’ Cornerback Need Goes Beyond Joey Porter Jr. Trade
Porter’s departure made cornerback an obvious future need. What happened immediately afterward only emphasized it.
The Steelers entered training camp believing the secondary was one of the deepest parts of the roster. By the end of September, that depth had been hit hard.
Jalen Ramsey played through Pittsburgh’s 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns with a cast protecting a broken wrist. Jamel Dean left that game with his foot in a boot, while Brandin Echols had only recently cleared concussion protocol. Rookie Daylen Everette was also forced into a larger role.
Pittsburgh still has veterans Dean, Ramsey, Echols and Asante Samuel Jr., along with Everette, a 2026 third-round pick. But the long-term picture isn’t nearly as settled without Porter, who had started 41 games over his first three NFL seasons before the trade.
The Steelers also won’t necessarily be picking anywhere close to No. 8. Wilson’s projection is an early snapshot with most of the 2026 NFL season still to play.
Hampton, though, is the more interesting part of the exercise.
Pittsburgh traded away a 26-year-old, 6-foot-2 cornerback after failing to work out an extension. Less than a week later, one of the first major projections since that deal has the Steelers spending premium draft capital on another 6-foot-2 corner.
Whether they ultimately miss Porter or not, as Wilson put it, the position isn’t going away as a need.
Steelers Predicted to Land 6-Foot-2 Joey Porter Jr. Replacement