Will Levis wasn’t the only projected top pick left in the green room after not being selected in the first round of last week’s NFL Draft.
Joey Porter Jr., a standout defensive back from Penn State and the son of former Steelers great Joey Porter Sr., also didn’t hear his name called Thursday night and was rightfully emotional afterwards.
NFL Films’ “Hey Rookie: Welcome to the NFL” captured the pep talk Porter Sr. delivered to his son in that moment of disappointment in a video you won’t want to miss.
“There’s nothing like motivation, right?” Porter Sr. said. “[The NFL] want to see a pissed off football player, now they got one.”
"Take it personal."@joeyporterjr got a much-needed pep talk from dad after getting passed on in round one 😤 @Steelers
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) May 2, 2023
📺: Season Finale of #HeyRookie airs tonight 9pm ET on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/kTvoxq8dvU
Poetically, Porter Jr’s eventual landing spot was a homecoming in Pittsburgh, where his father played for eight years and won Super Bowl XL in 2006. Porter Jr. said after the draft he thought the Steelers would select him after they traded up for the No. 14 pick, but Pittsburgh instead drafted offensive lineman Broderick Jones. He was drafted No. 32 overall, the first pick of the second round by Pittsburgh.
Joey Porter Jr. will wear No. 24 for the Steelers in honor of Ike Taylor, a Steelers teammate of his dad’s who says he has known Porter Jr. since “when he was born”, per Pro Football Talk.
