This Son Of Ex-Patriots Rival Could Be First-Round Draft Target

INDIANAPOLIS — Joey Porter once said he would hate the New England Patriots “forever.”

But if the 2023 NFL Draft breaks the way some expect, he may be forced to start rooting for them.

Joey Porter Jr., son of the former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker and longtime Patriots rival, is one of the top cornerback prospects in this year’s draft. And with New England currently in need of help at the position, the Penn State product has been mentioned as a possible first-round target for Bill Belichick’s club.

A mock draft published by ESPN’s Todd McShay in mid-February had the Patriots taking Porter with the 14th overall pick.

That surely would be a bittersweet moment for the elder Porter, who never hid his disdain for the Patriots. He publicly bashed them multiple times during his playing career, claiming New England’s “Spygate” cheating scandal robbed his Steelers of multiple Super Bowl appearances. The Patriots defeated Pittsburgh in the 2001 and 2004 AFC Championship Games.

“My feeling toward New England goes back further,” Porter said in 2009, when he was with the Miami Dolphins and preparing to face New England. “It goes back to my Pittsburgh days. I felt a certain way after some things came out, way back when. In Pittsburgh, some AFC championships I lost to them a couple times.

“Then to come to figure out some months later why we lost, so yeah, I have a natural hate for them, period. That’s just going to be with me forever, so that’s not ever going to change.”

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Porter Jr. met with the Patriots at the NFL Scouting Combine, called them a “pretty great organization” and said his famously fiery dad would get over his grudge if they drafted him.

“I don’t think he’d be too mad at the situation,” the prospect said. “He’d just be happy that I got picked up by a team that wants me.”

It’s unclear whether the Patriots are planning to draft a corner in Round 1 — they’ve only done that once in the Belichick era, and that player (Devin McCourty) later moved to safety — but Porter Jr. would fill a clear need.

New England’s cornerback group this season lacked height and length, and those are two of Porter’s most desirable assets. He stands 6-foot-2 and boasts what The Ringer’s Danny Kelly called “go-go-gadget arms.” He’s also known for his physicality — another trait the Patriots typically value in their cover men.

“Now, a lot of organizations like long, lengthy corners that can run,” Porter said. “I feel like I fit that bill, and I can be physical, too.”

Porter said he modeled his game after players like Richard Sherman, Patrick Peterson and Jalen Ramsey — all lockdown corners who are 6-foot-1 or taller.

The Patriots are facing uncertainty at the position with Jonathan Jones entering free agency and Jack Jones coming off a team-imposed suspension. But Porter could wind up being out of their reach. He, Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon are viewed as this year’s top three cornerback prospects, and all three could be gone by the time New England makes its first selection.