MOBILE, Ala. - When the Steelers selected cornerback Joey Porter Jr. out of Penn State with the 32nd pick in last year's NFL Draft, they gained some new fans in State College, Pa.
Porter's former teammates Kalen King and Johnny Dixon spent a lot of their free time last fall watching the Steelers and cheering for their friend.
Now, they hope to follow in his footsteps.
Porter was the highest-drafted cornerback in Penn State history. And while neither King nor Dixon might hear their names called earlier than Porter did a year ago, they hope to have similar success at the position in the NFL.
That's one big reason both chose to attend this year's Senior Bowl, where both are members of the National team that will compete on Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
"I learned a lot. I got to compete with the top competition in the country. That alone made it worth it," King said Thursday as the Senior Bowl practices wrapped up in preparation for Saturday's game.
"It was important for me to get that coaching and get a feel for what's next."
Watching Porter compete during the season for the Steelers and talking with their friend gave both Penn State corners a pretty good idea of what's needed to play in the NFL.
Lolley is a Contributing Writer/Editor and co-host of "SNR Drive" on Steelers Nation Radio. His opinions do not reflect the views of the Steelers organization.
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They know how good Porter is. And they have a good idea of how their skill sets match up with his. The rest is up to them - and the draft process.
"Joey is more of an outside, shutdown corner," Dixon said of Porter. "I can move around a little more. I'm a little more versatile. I can blitz and work inside in the box."
At Penn State, King started opposite Porter in 2022 when opponents rarely threw at the future Steelers star in his final season. Dixon, a transfer from South Carolina, also figured into the mix that season, as well, seeing time in the slot and as a blitzer.
They were a formidable trio in 2022, especially given how much man-to-man defense Penn State plays, a rarity in college football.
"We played a lot of outside leverage. They do a lot of that in the NFL," said Dixon. "They play a lot of man-to-man. I'm prepared to cover on the inside or outside. I was inside doing a lot of blitzing, so I feel like that versatility prepared me for the league.
"That's all we do. It's man-to-man with a blitz. I'm used to it."
And if he didn't think that skill set would translate well to the NFL, all he needed to do was watch Porter's rookie season.
A finalist for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Porter allowed just 24 receptions on 53 targets this season. Opposing quarterbacks posted a passer rating of just 65.9 when targeting his coverage.
"I watched almost every game. I knew exactly what he did," said King, "What he did transitioned smoothly from college to the NFL. I wasn't surprised at all.
"Playing alongside a guy like that last year, the damage that we did for Penn State and then to see him do that in the league, it definitely gives me confidence."
• The Steelers have had plenty of success with Polynesian players in their history and have a number of Polynesians on their current roster.
But they might not have ever had one as versatile as Utah's Sione Vaki.
Vaki came to the Senior Bowl to work out with the safeties. But he also spent some time working at running back and wide receiver this week.
And that wasn't out of the norm for Vaki. He had 92 tackles, including 12 for a loss, two sacks, an interception and five pass breakups the past two seasons for the Utes. He also was used on offense in 2023 and rushed for 317 yards on just 42 carries – a 7.5 yards per carry average. He also caught 11 passes, averaging over 18.5 yards per catch, scoring five touchdowns on his 53 offensive touches last season.
"I think versatility means something to the league values. It's a way to get your foot in the door," Vaki said Thursday.
Vaki is simply a football player. Perhaps if the redshirt sophomore had gone back to Utah for another season, he might have been even more well known. But Vaki lost his mother to ovarian cancer and he's trying to show teams he's ready to play at the NFL level – regardless of where he's asked to play.
"I don't want people to think that because I have talent on the offensive side, I also want to show people I'm just as good on defense, as well," Vaki said. "I don't shy away from special teams. Special teams are the way I got into my first college game. Anyone who wants to play special teams, that's your ticket. I definitely won't shy away from special teams here."
• A year ago, the fastest player at the Senior Bowl was cornerback Darius Rush, who posted a top speed of 21.65 miles per hour, which translated to a 4.36 40-yard dash when he ran at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Rush, a fifth-round draft pick of the Colts, wound up on the Steelers' roster in 2023 after he was surprisingly released by Indianapolis, which had taken three corners in the draft, by Kansas City. The Steelers then plucked him off the practice squad of the Chiefs.
This year, the fastest player here was Fresno State cornerback Carlton Johnson. Johnson, a 5-10, 170-pound cornerback, posted a top speed of 22.17 miles per hour.
That's the second-fastest time posted here since the Senior Bowl began tracking speeds using Zebra Technologies in 2018 behind current Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen, who posted a top speed of 22.45 miles per hour.
Rush's time is the ninth-fastest in Senior Bowl history.
