LATROBE, PA (93.7 The Fan) – Steelers GM Omar Khan remembered Joey Porter, Junior as a ball boy at training camp in Latrobe. He remembered having Porter’s son around and trying to keep him from running on the field. Now he’s essentially hired Porter, Junior to keep others from running free on it.
“Yeah, it's kind of crazy,” Porter, Junior said Thursday. “I remember being here when I was a young kid, being a ball boy, and now it's full circle. My dad's going to watch me practice now. So I mean, it's a great experience and I'm just excited for it.”
For all reports from Penn State, after his father was a bit excitable during Porter, Junior’s high school games at North Catholic and North Allegheny, Dad was a model citizen while his son was a Nittany Lion. He wasn’t visible at least on Thursday, but you got to imagine the emotion for a father to see his son follow him to the elite of their profession.
Porter, Junior remembers being in Rooney Hall as a kid with Mike Tomlin and the staff being in bunk beds. It’s different now, Porter, Junior has his own room, even his own bathroom. That is a change from just a few years ago when players shared bathrooms like freshmen in college.
They didn’t sign him for a trip down memory lane or as a favor to his father, who has been friends with Tomlin for years.
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“They got me for being me,” Porter, Junior said. “They know who I am. They know how I play. So I don't have to really change nothing about how I play or my style. So that's what I'm walking in with, with just a lot of confidence.”
On days when he has questions, his locker is by veterans Minkah Fitzpatrick, TJ Watt and a few others so he can learn. He believes they are there for him to bounce ideas off of, to help him through tough practices. Patrick Peterson said he wants to mold Porter, Junior to be a great corner. He’s embraced that and Porter is anxious for those talks and learning more about the game and life from his teammates.
The advantage he has besides having those mentors, a father who played in the NFL, starting in the Big 10, it’s his physical skills. It’s being a corner at 6’2.5” who can run a 4.4 40-yard dash with a 35” vertical jump.
“I always I'll use my size and length to my ability,” Porter, Junior said. “That's what God gave me. I use it every day. And my coach always used to tell me why would I have this length and size and not use it. So I try to use it to my best of my ability.”
Soon the pads will come on and this will become a lot more real for Porter, Junior. It won’t just be running around on the field like when he was a kid. He will be going one-on-one with Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. But that’s why he’s here, to fulfill a dream that started by handing others towels on this same field. Now it’s his turn to shine.
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His life really has come full circle.