Night one of the 2023 NFL Draft didn't go as planned for CB Joey Porter Jr., falling out of the first round. However, after sharing an emotional moment with his dad, he finally got the call at the start of the second round.
Joey Porter Sr. knows his son and new @steelers CB @JoeyPorterJr is ready to prove the doubters wrong.
— NFL (@NFL) May 3, 2023
"You're getting a pissed off guy, he's ready to work." (via @NFLFilms) pic.twitter.com/DM6SDQ2M0o
"I'm coming home," Porter Jr. said. "At one point I was nervous, I was like, "Yeah, they probably not picking me" 'cause the clock was getting really low. I thought a trade was gonna happen, but no, they called me."
Porter Jr.'s thoughts weren't far-fetched as the Steelers were reportedly mulling whether to trade pick No. 32 with two of the top quarterbacks still available (Will Levis and Hendon Hooker).
"We had some good offers. They were strong and we considered them very hard. I think the draft started at seven o'clock on Friday ... and it was 6:55 and we were still communicating," general manager Omar Khan told Pittsburgh's 102.5 DVE. "But at the end of the day, we talked about it and we just didn't want to trade away from Joey."
Porter Jr. was an option for the Steelers at pick No. 17 as Khan revealed he was "rated pretty high" on the team's board. If the team didn't trade up to jump the Jets for Broderick Jones, he may have been Pittsburgh's first-round pick.
However, everything worked out. Porter Jr. gets to play for his dad's old team and the Steelers may have gotten the steal of the draft.
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