Should Steelers Look to Defense With 2 Draft Picks in Top 35?

With the 2023 NFL Draft order shaping up, it looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers will have two picks in about the top 35. The Draft Network’s Damian Parson released the fourth version of his mock draft on Wednesday. He predicts the Pittsburgh Steelers will bolster their defense by taking Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. and Alabama’s Henry To’o To’o with their initial two choices.

He forecasts the Steelers will draft the cornerback, Porter Jr., with the 14th pick of the opening round. Porter Jr. ranks 4th in the country with 11 pass breakups and is a semifinalist for both the Jim Thorpe and Chuck Bednarik Awards. It’s well-documented that he’s the son of former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter.

“Porter Jr. has great arm length/reach to compete at the catch point with most receivers,” Parson wrote. “He plays with good patience and physicality in press alignment to disrupt timing. This pick feels like a slam dunk for both Porter Jr. and the Steelers.”

To’o To’o’s 89 stops are the second-most of any Alabama player this go-round. He led the Crimson Tide with 113 tackles a year ago and is also a semifinalist for the Butkus Award. Parson points to the disappointment of a former top-10 choice as a reason to go get him with the second turn of the second round.

“Devin Bush is on an expiring contract and has not lived up to his top-10 selection,” Parson reasoned. “Henry To’o To’o will add an instinctive second-level defender with three-down abilities.”

You can decide how much stock you’d like to put into Parson’s projections. At the top of the draft, he has the Houston Texans adding Kentucky signal-caller Will Levis. Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. goes off the board when Green Bay selects 11th overall, while Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski slides to Houston at the top of the second round. Both are offensive tackles the Steelers might be keeping an eye on.