STATE COLLEGE — Someday, Joey Porter Jr. will return to Penn State’s Lasch Building and see his name listed on the wall among the program’s first-round picks.

“I’m gonna go down in history at Penn State,” said Porter, who is set to become the Nittany Lions’ first first-round defensive back. “I get to come back and show my kids that. It’s a special moment.”

But before that special moment, he will have one April 27.

Porter, speaking after Penn State’s pro day, confirmed he was invited to and will attend the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City.

“Since a young age, I’ve been watching people walk across that stage,” Porter said Friday. “I’m definitely happy to put on that hat and hold that jersey. I’m excited.”

Porter will be the third Nittany Lion to attend the draft in recent years. Saquon Barkley was present for the 2018 draft in Dallas, where he was selected No. 2 overall by the New York Giants. Micah Parsons attended the 2021 draft in Cleveland, where he heard his name called at No. 12 overall by the Dallas Cowboys.

There’s a chance Porter, like Barkley and Parsons, lands in the NFC East. He was seen speaking with Philadelphia Eagles representatives at Holuba Hall ahead of his limited drill work at pro day. The Eagles, who have a long-term need at corner, hold the No. 10 overall pick.

That’s around the high end of where Porter has been going in mock drafts. A recent mock from The Athletic projected Porter to the Eagles. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. had the 6-foot-2 corner going No. 14 overall to the Patriots. ESPN’s Todd McShay slotted him at No. 22 to the Buccaneers, which ought to give Pittsburgh Steelers fans hope.

Porter is the son of former Steelers standout linebacker and Super Bowl champion, Joey Porter Sr. The younger Porter said his father’s NFL background has come up in just about every team interview he has conducted during the pre-draft process.

It would be pretty fitting for Porter to land in Pittsburgh. The Steelers could use him after losing Cam Sutton in free agency, and team was well-represented at pro day with assistant general manager Andy Weidl, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and defensive backs coach Grady Brown in attendance. Whether Porter will be there for Mike Tomlin and company to take at No. 17 overall is a different question.

“At the end of the day, it’s a business,” said Porter, who knows Tomlin and his sons well from his time spent around UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “If they want me, they’ll get me if they have the opportunity. We’ll see what happens.”

Asked if he will still be sitting there at No. 17 overall, Porter smiled: “I hope not. But, shoot, I don’t have a choice.”

All Porter can do is use the pre-draft process to prove he should be not only a first-rounder, but the first corner off the board. He’s among a consensus top three at the position with Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon.

Porter proved himself on the field at Penn State, especially last season. He felt the Purdue game, in which he tied a Big Ten record with six pass breakups, put him on “a bigger map.” From that point forward, he stood tall when thrown at and locked his man down when quarterbacks chose to look to the other side of the field.

Going from 2021 to 2022, Porter cut down on penalties from 10 to three while increasing his PBU count from four to 11. And that’s while missing three games with appendicitis.

Porter looks back on his time at Penn State fondly, and he’s looking forward to seeing how Penn State corner Kalen King — “a future CB1,” in his eyes — fares in 2023.

In the more immediate future, Porter is excited to get through the next few weeks of interviews and meetings with NFL teams. Then? Draft night in Kansas City.

“I’m going to have the whole family out there,” Porter said. “It’s going to be a party.”

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