PITTSBURGH — George Pickens and Joey Porter Jr. had fierce battles at training camp last year, and Porter expects that to occur again this summer at Saint Vincent College. Pickens had a leaping one-handed grab over Porter last year at camp and handed him the ball afterwards. Porter angrily threw the ball back at Pickens.
It was all in good compeition. Iron sharpening iron as Mike Tomlin likes to say.
“It’s the same. We are gunning for each other every day that we get a chance to,” Porter said at OTAs on Thursday. “And I am looking forward to training camp. I know it’s gonna be spicy, but I am ready for it.”
In a recent interview with Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, Porter declared that he’s the best cornerback in the NFL. Porter told Kaboly, “I don’t care if I am mentioned in there (among the best) or not because they are going to hear my name eventually.”
Porter had a banner rookie campaign, allowing a completion on just 47.4% of his targets in 2023, which was the lowest among all cornerbacks with 50+ targets, according to Pro Football Focus. In addition, Porter only gave up 50+ yards in the air in 2 out of his 17 games during his rookie season.
Porter expects to go up against No. 1 wide receivers every week this season. Getting reps against Pickens in training camp will only help him grow.
“We are going to talk about it (with coaches), but I think that’s the case,” Porter said about lining up against No. 1 wide receivers every week. “I really don’t know, but that’s my intentions.”
Porter wants to bulk up from 200 pounds to 205 pounds before the season. He thinks the added weight will help against No. 1 wide receivers.
“Covering No. 1 wide receivers forces you to grow up fast,” Porter said. “I feel like I took on that challenge and showed I could hang with them. That’s something hopefully I can continue to do this year.”
Nick Farabaugh provided reporting from Pittsburgh.