Chris Adamski’s Steelers mock draft: Don’t overthink this, stick with Joey Porter Jr.
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Since early last fall when it became apparent that Joey Porter Jr. was trending toward being a first-round pick, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been a trendy prediction as his ultimate draft destination.
The reasoning is obvious — Porter’s father was one of the organization’s most recognizable and popular players during the 2000s, and he later was an assistant coach for the team. Porter’s son and Dino Tomlin — the son of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin — while in high school were regularly on hand for Steelers practices, free to work out. It’s well-established the Steelers like to lean on prospects they know (think Kenny Pickett and James Conner), and they also gravitate toward players who have family ties in the NFL (they had four sets of brothers, for example, on last year’s summer roster — and they drafted T.J. Watt when he was just the little brother of an NFL Defensive Player of the Year).
But Porter’s selection makes sense beyond nepotism. First, there’s need. If the Steelers don’t take a cornerback in the first round, they almost certainly will one way or another before the end of Day 2. Then, Porter’s size (6-foot-2½, 193 pounds) is appealing for a team that likes physical corners.
Plus, Tomlin is infatuated with “ball skills” in his DBs, and Porter was a pass-breakup machine at Penn State.
Finally, for whatever mock drafts are worth, Porter has long and consistently been projected in the range of a mid- to late-first round pick. For the Steelers at No. 17, that’s by no means a reach.
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Let’s not overthink this. Project the Steelers to take Porter Jr.
Here’s who this writer thinks the Steelers will select in the 2023 NFL Draft:
1. (No. 17) Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
A nitpick on Porter’s “ball skills” is while he got his hands on lots of footballs, he rarely intercepted them. But the Steelers have Minkah Fitzpatrick and Damontae Kazee to excel at that in their secondary.
2. (No. 32) Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
The Steelers might be set on getting a tackle even more than a corner. Harrison has been quietly looming as a viable option to serve as Pickett’s blind-side protector for years to come.
2. (No. 49) Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin
The remaking of what was an aging defensive line continues for the Steelers, with Benton joining DeMarvin Leal and former college teammate Isaiahh Loudermilk as a possible future anchor at the position.
3. (No. 80) Byron Young, OLB, Tennessee
The nice part about predicting “Byron Young” in the middle rounds is there is twice the chance it’s correct! Alabama’s defensive lineman with the same name is another prospect expected to go in that neighborhood.
4. (No. 120) Charlie Jones, WR, Purdue
A safety valve to add to Pickett’s arsenal, Jones was highly productive in college and could compete to return kicks and punts as well as to be WR4.
7. (No. 241) Jaren Hall, QB, BYU
This is wishful thinking that Hall will be available this late, but don’t be surprised if the Steelers trade into the fifth or sixth round for somebody.
7. (No. 251) Tanner Ingle, S, N.C. State
Two years ago, Mike Tomlin announced a seventh-round defensive back (Tre Norwood) as a “Swiss Army Knife,” and this is another opportunity for a late-round flier on a versatile defender.
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