The Pittsburgh Steelers were smart to trade Chase Claypool at the 2022 trade deadline. Omar Khan and the front office didn't just move on from a locker room distraction, but got fantastic compensation on top of that. The 32nd overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft was used on cornerback, Joey Porter Jr., who had the best moment of his young professional career in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh needed a huge red zone stop very late in the fourth quarter and Porter Jr. completely shifted the momentum of the game with an interception in the end zone.
Porter Jr. wears the number 24, which is familiar for Steelers fans when it comes to the cornerback position. Two-time Super Bowl champion and fan favorite, Ike Taylor played with Joey Porter Sr. and was most recently hired by the organization as a scout. He co-hosts a podcast with Mark Bergin called Bleav in Steelers and discussed the rookie defender's huge play against the divisional rival.
Steeler Nation is calling for Head Coach Mike Tomlin to start Porter Jr. permanently following the Week 6 bye. Both veteran corners in Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace have not been overly impressive and despite the rookie's strong performances in a smaller sample size, Taylor told him that he shouldn't be desiring a starting role so soon.
"What I told JP Jr. was, man don't be in a rush to start bro. 'Cause once you start, you're on that field forever. Go on, take your time. Keep learning. I said, 'Look at it like this. You're getting less reps, but you're making h*lla plays.'"
A hefty workload during games becomes much more challenging for any NFL player, let alone a rookie. Porter Jr. is proving his worth early in his career, but Taylor is suggesting that a minimal snap count on top of having success in limited opportunities is the perfect scenario. There's no doubt that Porter Jr. will be starting soon, but there's no reason to dive right into it.
Taylor was far from done explaining his reasoning for the advice that he passed along to Porter Jr. He believes that there is no reason to put even more pressure on a young guy still trying to find his way in the NFL. He wants young corners to soak up everything they can during practice around a strong coaching staff and veterans prior to taking on a full-time starter role.
"I don't even wanna start as a rookie. Don't put no pressure, especially at that position. Give me all the reps I can get in practice and kind of wean me in the game time."
If fans are paying attention, it seems like, according to Taylor, that the coaching staff is deliberately giving the rookie tough assignments, but only a few times a game.
"If you look at the third down situations and people start to pay attention to the third down situations, he's actually checking the [other] team's best receiver on third down."
It has been planned for Porter Jr. to have the tougher assignment on third down because Tomlin and co. believe in him, but there is no need to overwhelm him so early in his career when he is getting his feet wet.
Steelers' Porter Jr. Getting Major Props In The Team's Building
The Steelers former cornerback also added even more to his reasoning when bringing up how opponents are putting a plan in place to go up against Pittsburgh. It might be more beneficial for Porter Jr. to not be on other teams' radars going into matchups. It gives him a leg up.
"You quietly in the building, you're getting your props, but don't be in no rush to start because once you start starting, other teams start game-planning for you, for 60 plays."
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