Joey Porter Jr. said he is ready to go, ready to play with the big boys, ready for the speed of the regular season, ready mentally for the transition from college to the NFL.
It’s another level from the preseason, to be sure. No more second- and third-team receivers to line against. No more third-team quarterbacks trying to attack the outside.
Porter, the first pick in the second round of the NFL draft, is prepared for the challenge.
But it will have to wait.
Even though he has all the measurables the Steelers seek in a cornerback, Porter will not begin the season as one of the starters. Veteran Patrick Peterson, a former eight-time Pro Bowler who enters his 13th NFL season, will start alongside Levi Wallace when the Steelers open the 2023 season against the San Francisco 49ers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
“It’s like I’ve always said – it’s up to coach what he wants to decide to go with,” Porter said. “I got to be ready for any opportunity I get to go out there.”
Make no mistake, Porter will play in some of the sub-packages and be worked into the lineup. After all, the Steelers’ intention is to let him further his development and eventually be the starter on the outside.
But, for now, Peterson will be used on the outside, even though the team has plans to line him at different spots in the secondary.
“I feel like I showed them I’m ready to play with the big guys,” said Porter, son of the former Steelers linebacker and the 32nd overall pick in the draft. “My attention to detail is where it needs to be. There’s always stuff to work on, but that just comes with the game, especially a young guy coming in.”
Coach Mike Tomlin indicated the other day that Porter’s development was slowed a bit when he missed the first preseason game in Tampa because of injury.
That, though, shouldn’t last long. The Steelers drafted Porter, who is 6-foot-2 ½, 193 pounds because they like his size and length to combat the tall receivers that keep sprouting across the league. Two in particular are with the two-time division champion Cincinnati Bengals – Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
“We were able to get him a lot of reps, particularly over the last several weeks,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, he missed a game, and there's consequences for that from a development standpoint, but he made a lot of plays in team development in Latrobe.
“He’s highly competitive. We feel really good about his growth and development, and the trajectory of it. What he's able to provide is not only in the short term but the long term.”
Porter played less than half the defensive snaps in two preseason games (53). That was different than the team’s No. 1 draft pick, Broderick Jones, who played 143 snaps in three preseason games, or 77 percent of the time.
“Coach (Tomlin) always says the harder transition from college to NFL is defensive back,” Porter said. “In that transition and being comfortable where I am is the whole thing.”
The 49ers will present a varied attack for the Steelers secondary, whether it’s with multi-purpose running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, or tight end George Kittle. No NFC team had more touchdown receptions than the 49ers (30) last season. Only the Detroit Lions (54 to 52) had more total touchdowns among NFC teams.
That could be a tough ask for a rookie cornerback.
“They have a lot of one-on-one space winners,” Tomlin said. “(McCaffrey) might be the most dynamic one-on-one space winner at running back in the NFL, (George) Kittle might be that at tight end, Deebo Samuel might be that at receiver. Their run-after ability with their offensive eligibles is really impressive.”
Porter, though, said he is ready. He knows the speed of the game jumps another level once the regular season starts. It is something his dad has always told him, something Peterson, who is 33, has told him.
“I kind of know because I’ve already seen that,” Porter said. “But they’re also telling me on the sideline it picks up. You’re going against real guys every week. I kinda get that. I’m already mentally ready.”
It might just have to wait a bit.
Gerry Dulac: gdulac@post-gazette.com and Twitter @gerrydulac
First Published: September 6, 2023, 5:26 p.m.
Updated: September 7, 2023, 9:55 a.m.