Steelers fans are going to see a familiar name on the back of the black and yellow on Sundays.
That would be Joey Porter Jr., the son of Steelers legend Joey Porter. And although he was thought to be a likely first-round pick, he ended up dropping down to the second. The Steelers, whom it was thought were trading out of the No. 32 overall pick, selected Porter to start the second round.
Porter's relief was evident when Omar Khan was on the phone and began with, "Hey dude. You got me?"
"I knew the area code 412 and I was like 'ain't nobody else calling me at this time,'" Porter said. "So I was like oh yeah this that phone call so I was excited." Porter was all smiles as he explained things.
Joey Porter Jr finding out he’s a steeler#steelers
— matthew luciow (@Luciow1992) May 3, 2023
🎥@NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/ZkEZyrAZnY
MORE: Way-too-early 2024 NFL mock draft
Porter Sr.'s initial response was even more enthusiastic than his son's.
After a loud "LET'S GO" Porter got on the phone to talk to the team he knows so well. "Man you already know what you gettin' man. You gettin' a pissed-off guy. So he ready to work."
Porter took a hit in draft evaluations because of some grabbiness at Penn State, but his upside was impossible for teams to ultimately ignore. Although Porter undoubtedly wasn't drafted for his pedigree with the Steelers, he couldn't have ended up in a better spot.
Porter will wear No. 24, the same as his dad's former teammate Ike Taylor.
"Joey Porter Sr., was like, 'He's going to wear that two four in honor of Uncle Ike.' I was like, 'Oh, hell yeah,'" Taylor said of the number, per PFT. "When I saw that this morning in the group text, I was like, that's pretty damn cool."
Expect to see a lot of 24s and 55s in the crowd at Acrisure Stadium. It's a family affair in Pittsburgh now.
