Joey Porter Jr. Is on the Brink of Being an Elite CB
On the same Move the Sticks episode that NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah declared that the Pittsburgh Steelers have the best secondary in the AFC North, co-host Bucky Brooks also raved about Joey Porter Jr. He thinks Porter is on the brink of being an elite cornerback in the NFL.
“I think he’s the next coming. He’s the next guy that we’re going to talk about being a premiere cornerback in this league,” Brooks told Jeremiah. “Early on in the season, he got those No. 1 duties, and he didn’t shy away from the responsibility of being the No. 1 corner on that team. I love his length. I love his feistiness. And to me, he’s a much better player as a pro than he was as a prospect in college. And that is rare.”
Porter plays with a ton of swagger and tenacity. He’s just like his dad, former Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter Sr.
“Maybe it’s the uniforms. But he had a toughness and grittiness that suits what he’s being asked to do in Pittsburgh,” he said.
John Kosko of Pro Football Focus recently ranked Porter as the third-most physical cornerback in the NFL in 2023. Only A.J. Terrell of the Atlanta Falcons and Michael Davis of the Washington Commanders were deemed more physical.
“Porter brings physicality to the Steelers’ secondary and has proven to be one of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL. When he made contact with a receiver in 2023, he allowed just a 45.3 passer rating and a 38.2% completion percentage,” Kosko wrote.
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 in 2023, finishing fifth in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Porter allowed 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 allowed just one touchdown pass and just 0.76 yards per cover snap in 2023. Travis Etienne’s 56-yard touchdown in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 8 win over the Steelers was the only touchdown that Porter allowed, and that came on a busted coverage.
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