The sons of Steelers legends are like Pokemon cards to Pittsburgh's front office: you 'gotta catch 'em all'. At least that may be Omar Khan's view after striking gold with Joey Porter Jr. Porter, the son of former Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker, was impressed during his rookie season in 2023 and has the potential to be one of the top press-man cornerbacks in the game.
Now the Steelers could hit the motherload when it comes to second-generation NFL players.
On July 17th, Elijah Burress, son of former Steelers WR Plaxico Burress, posted a picture on 'X' of three Steelers legends with their sons. Joining Burress was former long-time CB Ike Taylor and his son Ivan alongside Jerome Bettis and his son, Jerome Bettis Jr.
Legacy 🤞🏾 pic.twitter.com/xV6mZGWFFS
— Elijah Burress (@elijahburress) June 17, 2024
Ironically, these three sons of former Steelers players will each be joining Notre Dame Football as the class of 2025.
Elijah Burress will follow in his father's footsteps as a wide receiver. Listed at 6'1'' and 170 pounds, Burress doesn't have his father's size at the position, but his mother was a former track athlete at Penn State. Burress joins Notre Dame as a three-star recruit, per 247Sports.
Ivan Taylor will also be picking up where his father left off. Ike Taylor (whose birth name is also Ivan) was a 12-year cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2003 to 2014 where he spent most of his time as the team's CB1. Ivan, a four-star recruit will also be playing in the secondary but as a safety. The 6'0'', 174-pound safety will need to add weight over the next few seasons, but he joins a Notre Dame team with a history of developing NFL talent at the safety position.
Jerome Bettis Jr. won't be playing running back like his Hall of Fame predecessor. His father was a short and stout Hall of Fame running back who was listed at 5'11'' and 252 pounds. Bettis Jr. will be a wide receiver for the Fighting Irish and he measures in with great size for the position at 6'2'' and 190 pounds.
Steelers will have their eyes sons of former players in future NFL Drafts
Because all three of these players have committed to Notre Dame for the class of 2025, it will be years before they are draft-eligible. However, when the time comes, you can be sure that Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers won't forget about them.
The Steelers value strong family bloodlines and connections as much as any team in the league. Khan admitted that they considered taking Joey Porter Jr. in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft had they not moved up for Georgia OT Broderick Jones.
Porter is hardly the only player on the team with a family connection. After the 2022 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers became the first team in history with three sets of brothers on their roster all at one time (Cam and Connor Heyward, T.J. and Derek Watt, and Terrell and Trey Edmunds).
Even outside of the organization, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan aren't oblivious to second-generation NFL players who have already had tremendous success like Pat Surtain II, Asante Samuel Jr., and Antoine Winfield Jr. Meanwhile, the Steelers couldn't draft high enough to snag a prospect like Marvin Harrison Jr.
There's no guarantee that Elijah Burress, Ivan Taylor, or Jerome Bettis Jr. will be half as good as their fathers before them (or even draftable NFL prospects, for that matter). However, we know how much the Pittsburgh Steelers value football families, and they will have their eyes on these second-generation NFL players in future NFL Drafts.