Steelers Daily Links: How Pickett Improved Hand Size, JPJ on Ravens

Joey Porter Jr. talked about the amusing potential sight of his father and former Pittsburgh Steelers great supporting the Baltimore Ravens and Kenny Pickett said he slept with a splint on to try to increase his hand size measurement.

🏈 NFL Network: Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. said his dad would wear a Ravens jersey if he landed in Baltimore. “He would put on a Ravens jersey if that happened, because he’s going to support me at the end of the day.”

Former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter Sr. had some heated battles with the Ravens back in the 2000s. He even once reportedly knocked on the Ravens team bus after a game at Heinz Field in 2003 to call Ray Lewis out for disrespecting him.

There’s been a lot of buzz around Joey Porter Jr. landing with the Steelers, but ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler doesn’t see Porter’s as a top priority for Pittsburgh at 17th overall.

🏈 Fowler also said the Steelers have been doing their due diligence on Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright and Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones. “I know they’ve done their homework on Darnell Wright. I know they like him. And a good amount of homework on Broderick Jones.”

🏈 The Pivot Podcast: Kenny Pickett said he wore a splint on his hands while he was sleeping to try to stretch his hands and make them bigger for the NFL Scouting Combine and his Pro Day.

Kenny Pickett wore a splint on his hands while he was sleeping to try to stretch his hands and make them bigger for the NFL Combine and his Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/PLp8xj8RFz

— Billy Hartford (@BudDupreeFan) April 25, 2023

🏈 Footbahlin podcast: Ben Roethlisberger had Ryan Shazier on his latest podcast to discuss the 2023 NFL Draft, comeback stories, the impact of therapy and more. Shazier revealed to Roethlisberger that he retired because he couldn’t imagine being the same player after suffering a tragic spinal injury in December of 2017. Shazier also shared that he’s been getting mental therapy for help in his post football career.

“I do have stuff that bother me, everybody has stuff that bothers them,” Shazier said. “One thing that I’m big on is just personal growth and growing, and I just feel like I have some monsters inside of me that’s not allowing me to reach my full potential like I was with football. That’s why I think it’s very important that I talk to a therapist. I do tell people all the time that I have moved on from football, but I’m never going to forget what happened.”

🏈 Former Steelers inside linebacker Vince Williams thinks AFC teams should be on notice with the amount of talent at the quarterback position in the conference. “If you’re playing in the AFC you’re going to need some DBs because these QBs are legit,” Williams tweeted. With Aaron Rodgers now with the New York Jets via a trade, the AFC’s top-flight quarterbacks are Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence.

🏈 On this date 20 years ago, the Steelers selected USC safety Troy Polamalu at 16th overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. The Steelers traded up 11 spots from No. 27 to No. 16 with the Kansas City Chiefs to get Polamalu. Kansas City ended up selecting running back Larry Johnson out of Penn State at 27th overall. Along with swapping first-round picks, the Steelers traded their third-round pick (92nd overall) and a sixth-round pick (200th overall) to the Chiefs in the trade. The trade obviously paid off for the Steelers, as Polamalu has a bust in Canton. Polamalu is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 and College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

When the news broke back in 2021 that Polamalu was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl Jim Nagy had this to say on Twitter. “Was scouting for @Patriots the year Troy Polamalu came out of USC. I put a grade on him at top of our scale that was rarely ever used. Remember my boss jokingly saying, ‘Don’t put the guy in Canton.’ Never scouted a player as fun to watch on tape as Polamalu.”

Was scouting for @Patriots the year Troy Polamalu came out of USC. I put a grade on him at top of our scale that was rarely ever used. Remember my boss jokingly saying, “Don’t put the guy in Canton”.

Never scouted a player as fun to watch on tape as Polamalu. Congrats, Troy! pic.twitter.com/mmitOojuYm

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 2, 2020

AROUND THE NETWORK

Pittsburgh Sports Now: Pitt running back Talen Brooks has entered the transfer portal.

West Virginia Sports Now: Baylor transfer wide receiver Jaylen Ellis has committed to WVU.

Nittany Sports Now: Former Penn State quarterback Will Levis has the second-best odds to be taken No. 1 overall.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Can Alex Nylander stick with the Penguins next season?

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The Pirates finally lost a game.