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A family's dream was realized when Pittsburgh Steelers great Joey Porter Sr. witnessed his son, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., get selected by his former team in the 2023 NFL Draft. Although the moment was probably surreal enough already, the element of surprise may have made it even more special.
Porter, a two-time All-Pro linebacker who was a critical part of two Super Bowl teams, has longstanding ties with many members of the Steelers organization, but had no inkling they were looking at his son for the first pick in the second round, not even hearing a whisper.
“I wanted it to be the Steelers so bad for him, but they did such a good job of not letting us know,” Porter Sr. said, per Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “I have over 50 friends in that building that know me personally and I got nothing from anybody to say, ‘man, be ready, it's coming,' or anything.”
The stars aligned for the black and gold torch to be passed from father to son when the Penn State corner tumbled down the draft board. The Porter family and fans were subjected to an entire day of unbearable anticipation. The build-up was worth it, though. The Steelers used the No. 33 pick they received when they traded wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears last year to make Porter Jr. an official new member of the proud franchise.
His father was also a coach for Pittsburgh, so he should expect plenty of advice during his rookie year. The 22-year-old knows the rowdy atmosphere of the Steelers' field well from firsthand experience, though, which should be a vital advantage in this big transition.
There is a lot of work to be done to prove the rest of the league wrong for passing on Joey Porter Jr., but this rare familial connection is unlikely to be taken for granted along the way.
