Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerbacks, Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr. are being thrown into the fire.
The Steelers drafted the two cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft seeking to boost a pass defense that ranked 20th in yards allowed last season – but did tie for the lead in the NFL in interceptions with 20.
The pair have already formed a good bond, taking first-team reps during minicamp. They’ll get to show what they can really do when training camp starts at Saint Vincent College July 26.
The promising rookies are one of the reasons why the odds on the Steelers at FanDuel sportsbook are rising before the 2023 season kicks off. The Steelers finished last season 9-8, winning six of their last seven games, with rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett growing into the job each week.
The Steelers secondary was already a team strength, with perennial Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back there, and they added future Hall of Famer Patrick Peterson through free agency, but they couldn’t resist the talent of Porter Jr. and Trice Jr. in the draft.
Porter Jr. was born to be a Steeler, literally. His dad Joey Porter Sr. was a fan favorite of the Steeler faithful when he played for the black and gold from 1999-2006. He made three Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl ring with the Steelers.
Porter Jr. played his high school ball in Pittsburgh before going on to Penn State where he was a Second Team All-American in 2022. He was a ball boy at Steelers training camp as a child.
Now he’s all grown up. Porter Jr. possesses unique size for a cornerback at 6-foot-2 and elite speed, but have you seen the size of wide receivers lately? Those guys are big (see D.K. Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks for example).
"Excited to get Joey," said Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin after the draft. "We know we wanted a young corner. He has a lot of great attributes. Size, length, competitive, tough. Really good. Really glad we were able to get him to come in and contribute to our team.”
Rookie cornerbacks always must get their feet wet a little bit. No NFL cornerback goes a week without getting beat once or twice, but their resiliency is what makes them stand out.
Trice is another big human being for a cornerback, standing 6-foot-3, 215 pounds. The Steelers got him in the seventh round and secondary coach Grady Brown praised his ability in press coverage. In today’s NFL, you can’t have enough guys who can cover.
Trice is getting looks at outside cornerback for the Steelers, but can also play safety. He may be the heir apparent to Fitzpatrick, or at least a comparable running mate. At worst, he will wind up on the practice squad.
He started 24 games at Purdue and was All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2022. His draft stock took a hit when he was injured in 2021 and missed most of the season.
Porter Jr. and Trice Jr. have already formed a nice bond and made themselves comfortable in the cornerbacks’ room (of course, Porter Jr. probably knew where it was already).
With the Steelers having built-in mentors already in the secondary in Fitzpatrick and Peterson, expect Porter Jr. and Trice Jr. to learn a lot about playing in the NFL and develop quickly.
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