‘History of My Dad’: Joey Porter Jr. Recounts Visit With Steelers, Mike Tomlin

Mel Blount Steelers Draft Joey Porter Jr.
Penn State's Joey Porter Jr. (9) during second quarter action of the Nittany Lion's game with Indiana. The Hoosiers defeated No. 8/7 Penn State, 36-35, in the Big Ten football opener for both teams Saturday Oct. 24, 2020 in Memorial Stadium. Photo by Mark Selders

The Steelers hosted top cornerback prospect Joey Porter Jr. for a pre-draft visit over a week ago, and the Penn State product and son of former Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter Sr. found the halls all too familiar when walking around.

The visit did not count as a Top-3o visit since Porter is considered one of their local visits. However, he did get to feel out the vibe of the current staff and what they were like, and Porter Jr. came out of the visit liking the Steelers and what they could offer to his game. Joining the Rich Eisen show, Joey Porter Jr. recounted his visit.

“It was great,” Porter said. “I haven’t seen Coach Tomlin in a while because I’ve been at Penn State and taking care of my business, and same as him. It was a good reunion to see him and see the staff there. I’ve been going there since I was a kid and I saw a lot of old faces. You know, I already knew the facility.”

Still, the thought of playing for his father’s team has not fully cylindered into his mind just yet. Not only did Porter Sr. play for the Steelers, but he also coached for them, too. Playing at North Allegheny, he saw the career of his father up close and personal.

“The history of my dad and everything he’s done for the sport and the Steelers,” Porter Jr said. “That comes to my mind. They’ve talked to me all about that a little bit. We talked about what I could bring to the table. It was all a great conversation.”

During his visit, Porter Jr. got to see what it could be like for him if he follows in his footsteps. Growing up with Dino Tomlin, they two became close friends and now, it all has a chance to come full circle for Porter should the Steelers want to take him at 17th overall if he is on the board.

Mentioned In This Article: