The Pick Is In — Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL Draft

Matthew Townsend and Brendan Heffernan

Howdy folks! Welcome to The Pick Is In! That’s right, we’re back for another run with this experiment and can’t wait to see what our GMs, err, writers can cook up. If you’re unfamiliar with this series, lemme paint the picture for you. Our writers will be stepping up to the plate for a NFL franchise and act as if they have full control of the team on draft day. For each team, we’ll have two or three writers step into the front office and take over as general manager. You’ll see picks made from No. 1 overall to a sixth-rounder, bold picks will be made in unique spots, and trades will be cooked up. To highlight some of our success from 2022, we saw the Bengals trade up to take a star named Tariq Woolen in the mid 40s, the Packers snagged a stud in Jalen Pitre with the 28th overall pick, and with the 98th overall pick, the Saints struck gold with the valuable Zach Tom. This year will be no different. Our GMs will once again be showcasing their unique abilities to find intriguing talent. Whether you know it or not, the draft has already begun and it resumes with The Pick Is In. Welcome to the 2023 NFL Draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers are on the clock…

Matthew Townsend:

The Pick Is In: Joey Porter Jr. CB — Penn State (1st Round, 17th Overall)

Photo Credit: Barry Reeger/AP

Sometimes, a pick just makes sense. This is one of those cases for me, where a player just fits so well with a team. The Steelers are nearing the end of a rebuilding phase. They seem to have found their QB, with Kenny Pickett enjoying a strong finish to his rookie season. Surrounding him with talent is certainly tempting, but given the position of the draft they are in, I am more inclined to take a defensive player. With their 32nd pick, there is a better option to take a receiver or tackle in my opinion, which is why with their 17th pick, I went ahead and grabbed Joey Porter Jr.

The familial connections are obvious here, with Porter Jr’s father, Joey Porter Sr., being a Steelers legend, but there’s more to it than that. He also fits the Steelers’ mantra with his play style. When I think Steelers, I think tough, gritty defense, and Joey Porter Jr. is a tough, physical corner. He has great size, standing over 6-foot-2 and weighing 193 pounds, and is at his best in press man. He jams receivers at the line with his massive 34-inch arms, completely disrupting their routes. After the initial jam, he uses that disruption to take control of the route. He is patient and is athletic enough to wait for the receiver to make their move and then react. In zone coverage, he has good technique and drops his hips well. His ability to read, react and explode toward the ball makes him a decent option for a Cover 2 flat corner.

He is eager against the run, something that is evidenced by his 51 tackles (40 solo) in the 2021 season. That willingness to get in the backfield normally lends itself to production, as his long arms enable him to get his hands on the ball carrier in a wide radius. Those same long arms make him a massive issue at the catch point, as even if he’s not in the ideal position, he can still make a play on the ball. His ball skills need work, with only one interception his entire college career, with multiple drops along the way. The production is still there though, with 16 pass breakups over the last two years as a starter. If he can improve his hands, the picks will come. He also provides good special teams value, as he was a jammer for all four years at Penn State.

All in all, Porter Jr. seems to fit well with the Steelers. They have a need for an injection of youth into their secondary, and as my personal CB1, I feel like he can step in and be a starter in year one. He has room for improvement in both his ball skills and the amount of penalties he commits. With those issues ironed out though, I have no doubt that JPJ will be a top corner in the league.

Brendan Heffernan:

The Pick Is In: Darnell Wright OT — Tennessee (1st Round, 17th Overall)

Photo Credit: Andrew Ferguson/Tennessee Athletics

The longer I let Darnell Wright’s tape marinate, the better I feel about him. If Peter Skoronski and Paris Johnson Jr. are off the board when the Steelers are on the clock, Wright would be the best building block they could add to their struggling offensive line. 

I think Wright has legit Pro Bowl upside. He dominated as a pass protector on the edge against top competition in the SEC, including outstanding games against potential top 10 talents like Will Anderson Jr. and Nolan Smith. He’s also probably the best offensive lineman in this class when it comes to generating explosive force in the run game. 

I wrote about Wright in greater detail in my profile on him last month, but I think I’ve come around on him even more since then after digging into the rest of the tackle class. The chance to add a player with polished pass pro skills that will also enter the league as one of the NFL’s most physically imposing downhill run blockers should be too much for the Steelers to let pass them by.

Wright has a chance to blossom into the franchise cornerstone tackle that the Steelers have been missing for years.

About the author

Matthew Townsend
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I’m a USC fan of 15 years who majored in Math at UC Riverside, and graduated in 2020. I’m a big fan of using analytics and statistics to shape how I view college football. I've been watching and betting on sports for as long as I legally could. My favorite college football memory is Tua coming in at halftime of the championship game to come back and lead Alabama to a national title.

Brendan Heffernan
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