Though he might only be a rookie, opposing quarterbacks aren’t having a fun time throwing at Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. Already the team’s top cover corner, he’s having a great rookie season and, statistically, locking down his side of the field.
As outlined by Pro Football Focus yesterday, Porter has the second-best QB rating against in the NFL. He’s allowing just a 16.5 QB rating when targeted this year. The only corner in the league with a better figure is Indianapolis Colts outstanding slot corner Kenny Moore, a 13.2 QB rating against.
As the top four show, the AFC North is well-represented. Right behind Porter are the Cleveland Browns’ Martin Emerson (23.9) and Denzel Ward (24.2).
Porter is coming off another strong performance against the Tennessee Titans. Asked and allowed to shadow WR DeAndre Hopkins, he held the five-time Pro Bowler without a catch in the second half after Hopkins caught five passes for 60 yards in the first 30 minutes. Overall, Porter allowed just one reception against Hopkins, a 17-yard completion, and consistently denied the deep ball. Penalties were an issue — he was flagged four total times for various reasons (one facemask, one offsides, one illegal hands to the face, and one defensive holding) — but facing a guy like Hopkins requires matching his physicality. Play too passively out of fear of penalty and Hopkins will chew you up.
For Pittsburgh, any corner shadowing a receiver is rare. There are specific matchup situations where the Steelers do it — Minkah Fitzpatrick covering Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews on third downs, for example — but not a wide receiver on a down-to-down basis. You’d have to go back to the Ike Taylor days for the last time that’s happened on a regular basis. It helps having a versatile corner opposite like Patrick Peterson. If one corner is travelling, the other essentially is as well, but Porter has the high-end cover talent to compel the Steelers to do it.
There are issues with his games and things to work on. As a tackler, he must show better technique and finish, and he’s still developing in zone coverage. But he looks like the team’s top corner of the present and the future and an awesome value at the top of the second round.
