First Call: Joey Porter Jr. on potentially becoming a Steeler; Peter King has an interesting Steelers mock draft pick
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Joey Porter Jr. talks openly about the prospect of becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler. Peter King gives a unique prediction of who the Steelers will draft. A Pittsburgh kid gets on the score sheet in the NHL playoffs.
And the Pirates get a little help during an off night as they continue to lead the National League Central Division.
All that in Tuesday’s “First Call.”
Peezy’s plan
During a recent edition of the “All Things Covered” podcast, Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. discussed the prospect of being drafted by the same club that drafted his father — the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The show’s hosts — Bryant McFadden (a former Steelers cornerback) and Patrick Peterson (a current Steelers cornerback) — asked Porter what it was like having pre-draft interviews and conversations with head coach Mike Tomlin. After all, Porter Jr. has known Tomlin since he was a child. He was a Steelers ball boy and played youth basketball with Tomlin’s sons (Dino and Mason).
“It was something different because at the end of the day, I already have that great relationship with him, all the years,” Porter said. “But it’s business. So we’ve got to treat it like business. The main thing we were talking about was (Tomlin expressing), ‘Yeah, we have a history. But if we (draft) you, it’s not going to that family talk. It is going to be business when I come in the door.’ I told him, ‘I know I’m ready for it. I understand.’ So, I’m just ready to work.”
That said, Porter did express excitement at the prospect of the Steelers drafting him. He was particularly excited about the idea of learning some tricks of the trade from Peterson.
“Now that would be dope,” Porter said. “I know you’ve got a lot of knowledge on the game, and I’m just gonna be asking a lot of questions if that happens. So yeah, that’d be exciting.”
Porter said he can remember watching Peterson play when he was with the Cardinals. He and his father were teammates in Arizona in 2011.
Second instinct
Peter King of “Football Morning in America” raised some eyebrows with his prediction of who the Steelers will take in his mock draft. He went with Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 17.
“This is about where the receivers will start getting picked, and I’d be surprised if the Steelers weren’t seriously considering one to pair long-term with George Pickens,” King said.
Fair enough. Not to mention that Smith-Njigba’s brother, Canaan, is a Pittsburgh Pirate. Plus, in our “Draft Prep 101” series, former pro and college scout Matt Williamson gave a hearty endorsement for Smith-Njigba.
“Jaxon Smith-Njigba is my man crush. I adore this player,” Williamson said. “I know this is not a popular take, but if Jaxon Smith-Njigba is there at 17, I’m sprinting to the podium because I think your offense gets extremely hard to play against. … I think this guy is 100 catches a year, time and time again, mostly from the slot.”
The problem with King’s prediction is that the Steelers have other pressing concerns that I think need to be addressed before taking a wideout — especially after trading for Allen Robinson last week. That’s why I think this second thought from King makes more sense.
“Corner (is) another position the Steelers could favor here, and watch for Maryland’s Deonte Banks if that’s the call,” King added.
I could buy that. During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLIVE inferred that this could be the case if Porter Jr. is off the board.
But King has Porter lasting until Pick No. 26 to the Dallas Cowboys.
Nah, I don’t see that happening. If Porter Jr. is on the board when the Steelers pick, there is no way they bypass him for a wideout, or a different corner who is similarly ranked.
For an elite tackle like Broderick Jones or perhaps Darnell Wright? Maybe. Possibly. But I can’t see them doing that for a wide receiver or another cornerback.
More sports
• New Steelers WR Robinson eager to contribute, share knowledge with younger players
• Tim Benz: Steelers excited about pick No. 32 — but they better figure out how to use it
• NFL Draft primer: With plenty of vets on board, Steelers could wait to add safety depth
No ground gained
While the National League Central-leading Pirates (yes, you just read that correctly) were idle Monday night, the second place Milwaukee Brewers had a chance to gain ground.
They didn’t.
Milwaukee dropped a 4-2 home game to the Detroit Tigers. Nick Maton’s three-run home run was the big blow for the Tigers.
It's Nick Maton's wolfpack and we're here for it. pic.twitter.com/qCDF9kVoXO
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) April 25, 2023
So that means the Brewers are 15-8, a full game back of the Pirates who held steady at 16-7.
Pittsburgh welcomes the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games at PNC Park this week, starting Tuesday night. The Brewers have two more against the Tigers before an off day on Wednesday, then the Los Angeles Angels come to town.
To no avail
Upper St. Clair’s Vince Trocheck scored the ninth playoff goal of his career Monday night as his New York Rangers were playing the New Jersey Devils.
His tally evened Game 4 of that Eastern Conference quarterfinal at 1-1.
NO QUIT IN TROCH. pic.twitter.com/x5dfc0NKCS
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) April 25, 2023
However, the Devils scored two more to win the contest 3-1 and even the series at 2-2. Game 5 is Thursday in Newark.