Todd McShay gives his take on the Steelers best pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

The Pittsburgh Steelers were big winners in the 2023 NFL Draft by most people’s standards, but when it comes to the seven players selected you have to wonder which pick tops them all?

While all draft experts will have their own analysis of this question, one of the more popular, and scrutinized, draft analysts, Todd McShay of ESPN, took a stab at listing the best pick of all 32 teams draft classes.

For the Pittsburgh Steelers most might think it would be the team’s decision to move up three spots in the draft to No. 14 after trading a 4th Round pick to the New England Patriots to get Broderick Jones. But it wasn’t. Instead, McShay went with the team’s first of two second round picks to get his favorite.

That’s right, McShay’s favorite pick of the Steelers’ 2023 haul was Joey Porter Jr. at pick No. 32. Here was his reasoning...

Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State (Round 2, No. 32)

I had Porter at No. 23 on my board, and outside of Kentucky QB Will Levis, he was the best available player entering Day 2. Pittsburgh took care of a big need in Round 1 by selecting offensive tackle Broderick Jones out of Georgia, but corner was still a hole heading into Friday night. The Steelers replaced Cameron Sutton with soon-to-be 33-year-old Patrick Peterson, and they allowed 7.5 yards per attempt last season, 29th in the NFL. So yeah, I really like the Porter move at the top of Round 2.

With ridiculously long 34-inch arms and great physicality in press coverage, Porter should make an impact early in his career, pushing Peterson and Levi Wallace for rookie-year snaps. He reroutes receivers off the line of scrimmage and has the recognition skills to break on the ball. Critics of his game will point to just one interception over four seasons, but they’re ignoring the fact he forced incompletions on 37.9% of his targets last year, best in the entire nation.

Pittsburgh reportedly was getting some calls from teams looking to move up into the No. 32 pick, but it knew the opportunity it had in staying put and taking Porter. And yes, the talented defensive back goes to the team that drafted his father in 1999. Pretty cool.

If there were 1A/1B favorite picks for the Steelers, I’m going with Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton as the other standout. He’s a fantastic run defender with a lot of power, and while he’s not going to put up big sack numbers as an interior pass-rusher, Benton is disruptive.

McShay went with the two-for-one approach also listing the Steelers’ other 2nd Round pick, Keeanu Benton out of Wisconsin, as another favorite of his during the team’s draft weekend. Where was Broderick Jones on this list? We’ll never know, but according to McShay the Steelers hit their 2nd Round picks out of the ballpark.

Of the Steelers’ draft picks, which was the best, in your opinion? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the 2023 NFL offseason.