Joey Porter Jr. gives ball to his father after recording first interception as a Steeler
With his dad watching from the stands, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. reached a major milestone Saturday. Playing in a preseason game against the Bills, Porter stepped in front of receiver Khalil Shakir to record his first career interception in the black and yellow.
After celebrating with his teammates following the play, the cornerback walked up to his father to share a special moment. He handed him the ball, ensuring that the family will always be able to carry a piece of what will hopefully be the first of many more picks as he embarks on his NFL career. You can view the moment below.
Pittsburgh selected Porter Jr. with the first pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Penn State. The selection made headlines as Joey Porter Sr. is a former Steelers linebacker who played for the team from 1999-2006. He earned four Pro Bowl appearances in his career and also won a Super Bowl with the franchise in 2005.
Joey Porter Jr. is coming off of a senior season at Penn State in which he was named a first team All-Big Ten selection as well as earning second team All-American honors. He recorded a career-high 11 passes defended — including a program single-game record six against Purdue — to go along with 27 total tackles and a fumble recovery. For his career, Porter had 113 tackles, one interception and 20 passes defended.
Ultimately, Joey Porter Jr.’s interception led to a touchdown drive for the Steelers right before halftime to increase their lead to 21-0. He projects as a starter for the team this year and will hope to carry over his play from the preseason when the regular season kicks off on Sept. 10 against the 49ers.
Joey Porter Sr. shares reaction to Steelers drafting his son
After going through the first round without hearing his name called, Joey Porter Jr. didn’t have to wait long on Day 2. When the Steelers started the second round off by picking him, his dad almost couldn’t believe the surreal moment.
“It was amazing. I mean, absolutely amazing,” Porter Sr. told Steelers.com. “The excitement was crazy because we’ve been back in Pittsburgh for a while. It’s where he played his high school ball, he played his college ball in Pennsylvania. Now to actually be drafted by the team who brought us to Pittsburgh, to Pennsylvania, in the first place. It’s the first locker room he ever walked into and now he’s walking in there because he works for the team. I mean, this is absolutely amazing. I am at a loss of words, actually.”
Joey Porter Jr. will hope to make his dad proud by following in his footsteps as he aims for a strong rookie campaign.