UPDATE: April 28, 2023: Joey Porter Jr. was drafted on the second day of the NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His father, Joey Porter, won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers in 2006.
Bakersfield native Joey Porter Jr. is still waiting to find a new home. Porter Junior was the 3rd ranked defensive back by both the NFL Network and ESPN, and was supposed to go off the board around the 15th pick.
Draft experts describe the former Penn State Nittany Lion as a physical corner and a player who will jam receivers at the line. His father, Joey Porter, went to Foothill High School and was a Super Bowl Champ with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With another day of the draft ahead, Porter Jr. is still expected to be adding his name to the long list of athletes from Kern County to play in the NFL. Since Curt Mecham in 1942, more than 50 football players from the area have played in the league.
Kern County has a deep history of producing NFL players. Frank Gifford was the first person from Bakersfield to be drafted in the first round back in 1952.
Fast forward to 2002 when David Carr was the first overall pick. The Stockdale alum became the first-ever draft pick for the Houston Texans. His brother Derek Carr is included on the long list of local athletes to be drafted in the later rounds.
So what makes Kern County such a hotbed for NFL-caliber talent? Liberty High Patriots Head Coach Bryan Nixon has some thoughts.
"It's kind of Kern County's motto, right? We're going to work hard and we're going to be successful and we're going to find ways to do that," said Nixon. "I think that's a tribute to those kids and what they're doing and how they continue to be successful on a daily basis.
Bakersfield High School Assistant Coach Jason Oliver also weighed in.
"It makes me feel really good and happy to be from Bakersfield, you know? I mean, it's like the guys are gonna do their part during their time," said Oliver.
In an interview 23ABC conducted in 2020 with David Carr after his number one pick to the Texans in which he shared some advice for the other Kern County athletes drafted into the NFL.
"When you show up, you're not… you're not the man anymore, whether you're the first pick or the 300th or whatever. When you walk in that door, you have to establish yourself as that, and I think the fastest way to do that and show that you care about your teammates, more than anything else, and show that no matter what, you're trying to bring them along with you and your development," said Carr. "I think that was some great advice that I got early on."
Joey Porter Jr. is expected to become the latest Bakersfield native to be in the NFL, joining his father and the others who came before him.
The 2023 NFL Draft continues Friday night with the second and third rounds of picks. You can watch it all live starting at 4:00 pm on 23ABC.
