.png) Porter at the 2023 NFL Combine | |||||||||
| No. 24 –Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (2000-07-26)July 26, 2000 (age 24) Bakersfield, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 193 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | North Allegheny(Wexford, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||
| College: | Penn State (2019–2022) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2023: 2nd round, 32nd pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2024 | |||||||||
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Joseph Eugene Porter Jr. (born July 26, 2000) is an American professionalfootballcornerback for thePittsburgh Steelers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for thePenn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the2023 NFL draft. He is the son of the former NFL linebackerJoey Porter, who the Steelers selected in the1999 NFL draft.
Porter Jr. attendedNorth Catholic High School inCranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, before transferring toNorth Allegheny Senior High School inWexford, Pennsylvania.[1] He played cornerback andwide receiver in high school. He committed toPenn State to playcollege football.[2]
In his first year at Penn State in 2019, Porter Jr. played in four games and had three tackles. In 2020, he started all eight games recording 33 tackles and onesack.[3][4] In 2021, he started all 13 games and had 50 tackles and oneinterception.
| Season | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Cmb | TfL | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | FF | TD | |||
| Penn State Nittany Lions | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | 24 | 9 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 39 | 11 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 21 | 6 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career | 86 | 27 | 113 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 34 in (0.86 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.46 s | 1.50 s | 2.57 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 11 in (3.33 m) | 17 reps | |||
| [5] | ||||||||||||
ThePittsburgh Steelers selected Porter Jr. in the second round (32nd overall) of the2023 NFL draft. They obtained the draft pick they used to draft Porter during a mid-season trade which they sent wide receiverChase Claypool to theChicago Bears.[6]
On July 26, 2023, thePittsburgh Steelers signed Porter to a four-year,$9.61 millioncontract that includes $8.99 million guaranteed and asigning bonus of $3.99 million.[7]
He recorded his first NFL interception in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens.[8] As a rookie, he appeared in 17 games and started 11 in the 2023 season.[9] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[10]
As a rookie, Porter's performances were marred by several penalties throughout the season. In his rookie season alone, Porter was penalized 12 times in total, tying him sixth in the NFL for the most penalties on a single player for the 2023 season.[11] These penalties resulted in a total of 75 yards being given to opposing teams in the form of penalty yards.[12]
Through the first three weeks of the2024 season, Porter only allowed four receptions for 40 yards on six targets, with PFF ranking him third in PFF grading for the Steelers defense.[13] Across all three games, Porter recorded six tackles and three assists. In Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys, Porter would get his first interception of the season and the second of his career in a narrow 17-20 Steelers loss.[14] During Week 16's loss to theBaltimore Ravens, Porter left the game due to a knee injury, ruling him out of participating in Week 17's loss to theKansas City Chiefs. He returned for Week 18's matchup with theBengals[15]
Porter ended his sophomore season recording 16 game appearances with 86 targets against 54 completions for a completion percentage of 62.8. He also accounted for 70 tackles during the regular season.[16]
In his second consecutive postseason start, Porter recorded six tackles, only missing one in the entire game and was targeted five times as the Steelers ended their season with a 28-14 loss to the Ravens.[16]
He is the son ofJoey Porter, a former NFL linebacker for the Steelers,Miami Dolphins, andArizona Cardinals.[17]
