The 2023 Steelers draft class earned rave reviews, As and A-pluses all around the NFL world back in April. You can go ahead and give them high marks for their first appearances at Acrisure Stadium, too.
First there was No. 32 overall pick Joey Porter Jr. intercepting a lame duck pass by Matt Barkley, then running the ball over to his namesake in the front row of the building where he used to make big plays — a true role reversal for father and son.
“It was the first one — hopefully, the first of many,” Porter Jr. said.
Later, fourth-rounder Nick Herbig made like the elder Porter in the second half, bending the edge, ducking under the right tackle and knocking the ball away from Barkley for a strip-sack.
“We’re ready to make an impact and be Steelers from the start,” said Herbig, who also had a tackle for loss when he diagnosed a run play immediately and broke into the backfield. “I love all my guys in the rookie class. We have a tight bond.”
In between those takeaways, third-round tight end Darnell Washington made his presence felt. Earlier in the week, All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick likened Washington’s game as a receiver to that of a post player in basketball.
Fitzpatrick didn't compare him directly to Shaquille O’Neal, but instead of “Hack-a-Shaq” the Bills turned to “Whack-a-Wash.” The final series of the first half saw Washington draw two defensive pass interference penalties in a span of four plays, putting the ball at the 1-yard line, then giving Mitch Trubisky a new set of downs for what eventually turned into a touchdown pass to Connor Heyward.
“Really a lot,” Washington said of whether Fitzpatrick’s basketball analogy fits his style. “That’s how I look at jump balls. You’re really just grabbing a rebound off the backboard — boxing out and attacking the ball.”
For Washington, his 6-foot-7 size becomes an obvious advantage for quarterbacks in the red zone, especially at the goal line. But for Herbig, he used his 6-2 frame — not quite the prototype for a Steelers outside linebacker — to dip below 32-year-old David Quessenberry and put the 6-5, 310-pounder on the ground.
In fact, Herbig has embraced those doubting his physical profile so much that he and fellow backup Markus Golden have bonded over their shared trait: short-ish arms.
“It goes back to me saying dynamite comes in small packages,” Herbig said with a smile. “I don’t think any of that matters to me, honestly.”
Herbig also had a tackle for loss, following running back Darrynton Evans to the line of scrimmage and bringing him down before he could get there.
The only reason the night wasn’t all roses for the rookies was an ankle injury that kept second-rounder Keeanu Benton from building on his strong preseason debut, coupled with a sack allowed by first-round pick Broderick Jones at left tackle.
“I just gotta hold the edge better,” Jones said. “I gotta be able to run him by. Little bit of pocket pressure, but at the end of the day, all of us got to do better — especially me. That’s just how I look at it.”
Still, Benton and Jones could appreciate the work of their classmates. Benton was actually talking with injured defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi about how much the newcomers were making an impact.
“Me and Larry O were talking about that, how kind of seeing guys develop is amazing,” said Benton, who added that he should be ready to resume his usual workload Thursday night in the preseason finale at Atlanta.
Benton did get to throw on that black Steelers jersey and play a few snaps on special teams. As another Badgers product, he admitted that “Jump Around” — a staple at Wisconsin games — is No. 1 when it comes to stadium anthems, but he enjoyed his first taste of “Renegade” from the sideline.
“Just walking out in warmups, seeing all the yellow, it kind of felt like Georgia a little bit with a good home fanbase, lots of energy in the crowd,” Washington said, though he knows the regular season opener against the 49ers will be even more of an eye-opener for himself, Jones, Benton and Washington. “There’s going to be 10 times more juice here.”
Porter, though? He’s seen this place shake before. On this day, he made it happen himself.
“It was perfect,” he said. “Especially the first one back at home.”
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and @BrianBatko.
First Published: August 20, 2023, 3:12 a.m.