The Pro Football Writers of America released its 2023 All-Rookie teams last week with 27 total first-year players being honored as the top rookies at their respective positions. A pair of defensive studs who played their college ball with Penn State football, Joey Porter Jr. and Ji'Ayir Brown made the team.

The duo starred for a stout Nittany Lions defense in 2022, one that ranked ninth in the country in scoring defense and finished in the top 20 in opponent yards per game. A year later, both Porter and Brown played significant roles on playoff teams and were honored for their performance.

Penn State football recognized their rising NFL stars with a social media post.

Porter fell to the second round, a shock to a lot of draft analysts and football fans who thought the first-team All-Big Ten cornerback was a surefire first-round selection. The Pittsburgh Steelers opened day two of the draft by making Porter the first pick of the second round.

The Steelers eased Porter into the NFL as the Penn State alum played less than 20 percent of defensive snaps in three of his first six games. After playing 78 percent of snaps on defense during a Week 7 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the Steelers made Porter a starter for the rest of the season.

He started 12 games, including a playoff game, and did not miss a defensive snap in seven of those games. Porter did not miss a game, recording 43 tackles and 10 pass deflections with a more than respectable 70.1 passer rating when targeted.

From Jersey to the NFL

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Ji'Ayir Brown flew under the radar this season as a part-time starter on a stacked San Francisco 49ers defense. After spending the majority of the season as strictly a special teams player, the third-round pick started five consecutive games from Week 12 to Week 16. He played every defensive snap during that span.

Brown was a two-year starter at Penn State, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors at the safety position twice. He capped off his Penn State football career by being named defensive MVP of the 2023 Rose Bowl.

After not playing in the divisional round, the Trenton, NJ native had a season-high 10 tackles in the NFC Championship Game. Brown will get a chance to play in the Super Bowl and has earned the right to see the field after his second-half breakout.