PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers second round selection from 2023, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., has made a name for himself after just one year in the NFL. He has been able to make an immediate impact, becoming a starter midway through the 2023 season. Additionally, he has been able to separate his legacy from his father, former Steelers, Dolphins and Cardinals linebacker Joey Porter.
Porter Jr. was able to join the upper echelon of cornerback talent in 2023, becoming the cornerback with the lowest completion percentage allowed of all eligble players. Allowing just a 47.4% completion rate put Porter Jr. among the greatest and most efficient currently playing the position.
In an interview with Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, Porter Jr. listed who he believed to be the top cornerbacks in the NFL right now.
“There’s a lot of good corners. I think [L’Jarius] Sneed. I think he’s like that,” Porter said. “[Trent] McDuffie, I feel like he’s a baller. Jaylon Johnson from the Bears, I think he’s a dawg. [Patrick] Surtain’s like that. That’s already a known, Surtain. And I’ll probably throw me in there, obviously. Of course, gotta throw my name (in there).”
Porter Jr. threw his own name into the mix, putting himself in 5th of his list of the top five cornerbacks in the NFL. That being said, few could argue that he does not deserve that ranking based on his play last season.
Interestingly, another son of a former NFL player made the list in Patrick Surtain II. Surtain II is the son of 11-year NFL cornerback Patrick Surtain, who amassed 538 tackles and 37 interceptions in his career.
Whether Porter Jr.’s list will remain true for the upcoming season is up in the air. Porter will get a true chance to prove himself for the entire season following the departures of both Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson. Porter will be entering just his second season as an NFL player and will now be thrust into a much bigger role than he had last season. It seems as if the Steelers are setting up Porter Jr. for success, but only time will tell.
