Steelers agree to 4-year rookie deal with CB Joey Porter Jr. on eve of reporting to camp

It took until the day before players reported to training camp, but the Pittsburgh Steelers finally got the last of their draft picks under contract.

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr., the team’s initial second-round selection out of Penn State, agreed to terms on his four-year rookie contract Tuesday. Porter had been the only unsigned player on the roster.

Porter’s deal is worth $9.618 million and includes a $3.995 million signing bonus with the first three seasons on his contract guaranteed.

The deal likely took so long to complete because Porter was the No. 32 overall pick, which in most years would have placed him in the first round. But with the Miami Dolphins losing a first-round draft pick, the No. 32 pick this year represented the first pick of the second round, which the Steelers owned by virtue of a trade with the Chicago Bears last year involving wide receiver Chase Claypool.

Another potential sticking point was how much of the contract would be guaranteed.

With Porter under contract, the Steelers expect to have all 90 players on the offseason roster on hand when the first workout takes place Thursday. Porter could compete with veteran Levi Wallace at one corner spot or take snaps at the other spot when Patrick Peterson plays in the slot, a move that happened during offseason workouts.

The son of former Steelers linebacker and assistant coach Joey Porter, the Steelers rookie is friends with coach Mike Tomlin’s son Dino and excelled at North Catholic and North Allegheny high schools before enrolling at Penn State.

Porter Jr. was a three-year starter at Penn State and set a school record last year with six pass breakups against Purdue. He was projected to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft but slid to the second day, giving the Steelers a chance to draft him after they selected tackle Broderick Jones in the first round. They used their second second-round pick on Wisconsin defensive lineman Keeanu Benton.