In his first year at Penn State in 2019, Porter Jr. played in four games and had three tackles. In 2020, he started all eight games recording 33 tackles and one sack.[3][4] In 2021, he started all 13 games and had 50 tackles and one interception.
NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler of the the Athletic listed him as the second best cornerback available in the draft. Pro Football Focus ranked Porter Jr. as the fourth best cornerback prospect (21st overall) on their big board.[5] NFL media analysts Bucky Brooks and Daniel Jeremiah had Porter Jr. ranked as the third best cornerback in the draft.[6]ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Porter fifth among all cornerback prospects in the draft.[6] NFL draft analysts had him projected to be a first or early second round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Porter Jr. in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2023 NFL draft. They obtained the 2023 second-round pick they used to draft Porter during a mid-season trade with the Chicago Bears in 2022, in exchange for the Steelers sending wide receiver Chase Claypool to the Bears.[8] He was the fifth cornerback drafted in 2023.
Throughout training camp, he competed against Levi Wallace to be the No. 2 starting cornerback following the departure of Ahkello Witherspoon.[10] Head coach Mike Tomlin named him a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind starting cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Levi Wallace.[11]
On September 10, 2023, Porter made his professional regular season debut in the Pittsburgh Steelers' home-opener against the San Francisco 49ers, but was limited to one solo tackle in their 7–30 loss. On October 8, 2023, Porter made two tackles, one pass deflection, and had his first career interception that was vital to the Steelers' 17–10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens. With the Steelers down 10–8 with 4:10 left in the fourth quarter, Porter intercepted a pass by Lamar Jackson to wide receiver Odell Beckham. The turnover, led to a 14–yard touchdown pass to George Pickens and a comeback victory.[12] In Week 8, Porter earned his first career start in place of Levi Wallace who was inactive due to a foot injury. He recorded five combined tackles (four solo)bas the Steelers lost 10–20 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Although Wallace returned from injury the following week, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin chose to remain with Porter as the No. 2 starting cornerback for the rest of the season. In Week 11, he set a season-high with six combined tackles (five solo) and made one pass deflection during a 10–13 loss at the Cleveland Browns. He finished the season 4 a total of 43 combined tackles (32 solo), ten pass deflections, and one interception in 17 games and 11 starts.[13] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[14] As a rookie, his performances were marred by several penalties as he was penalized 12 times in total throughout the season, tying him sixth in the NFL for the most penalties on a single player for the 2023 season.[15] These penalties resulted in a total of 75 yards being given to opposing teams in the form of penalty yards.[16] He received an overall grade of 63.4 from Pro Football Focus as a rookie in 2023.[17]
2024
He entered training camp slated as a starting cornerback following the retirement of Patrick Peterson. Head coach Mike Tomlin named him a starting cornerback to begin the season and paired him with Donte Jackson.[18]
Porter during Steelers training camp in 2024
Through the first three weeks of the 2024 season, Porter only allowed four receptions for 40 yards on six targets, with PFF ranking him third in PFF grading for the Steelers defense.[19] On October 6, 2024, Porter made four combined tackles (three solo), one pass deflection, and had his lone interception of the season on a pass by Dak Prescott to wide receiver CeeDee Lamb during a 17–20 loss against the Dallas Cowboys.[20] In Week 8, he set a season-high with nine combined tackles (five solo) as the Steelers defeated the New York Giants 26–18. In Week 11, he recorded one tackle and set a season-high with two pass deflections during a 18–16 win against the Baltimore Ravens. In Week 16, Porter recorded three solo tackles before exiting during the third quarter of a 17–34 loss at the Baltimore Ravens due to a knee injury. He was subsequently inactive the following week as the Steelers lost 10–29 against the Kansas City Chiefs.[21] He finished the season with 86 targets against 54 completions for a completion percentage of 62.8. He also accounted for 70 combined tackles (53 solo), seven pass deflections, and one interception in 16 games and 16 starts.[22] He received an overall grade of 55.0 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 161st among 222 qualifying cornerbacks in 2024.[17]
In his second consecutive postseason start, Porter recorded six tackles, only missing one in the entire game and was targeted five times as the Steelers ended their season with a 28-14 loss to the Ravens.[22]
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