While he’s unlikely to be named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Pittsburgh Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. earned himself a spot on NFL.com’s All-Rookie team. Which is just as good. Almost.
Selected by analyst Bucky Brooks, Porter is one of the list’s two starting outside corners, placed opposite Devon Witherspoon. In choosing Porter, Brooks writes:
“The extra-long corner settled in quickly as the Steelers’ CB1. Porter’s gritty, relentless approach makes life miserable for wideouts forced to face him on the island.”
Surprisingly falling out of Day One of the draft, Pittsburgh took advantage and selected him with the top pick of the second round, turning down multiple offers from QB-needy teams looking to move up. Eased into the season, Porter began seeing regular snaps by Week Five, in which he picked off his first and only pass of the year, and officially became a starter in Week Eight against Jacksonville. He quickly became the team’s top corner, shadowing opposing No. 1 receivers, starting with Tennessee Titans wideout DeAndre Hopkins. With Porter shutting Hopkins out in the second half, Pittsburgh came from behind to win.
As Brooks notes, Porter’s combination of size, athleticism, and alpha mentality were assets throughout the year. We’ll share our final defensive charting metrics sometime next week but Porter figures to have one of the team’s top QB ratings against, if not the No. 1 spot.
While known for his sticky press-man coverage, Porter improved his tackling (at his father’s urging) and looked more comfortable in zone than expected. He finished the year with 43 tackles, 10 pass deflections, and that end-zone pick versus the Baltimore Ravens.
He’ll enter next season as the team’s top corner. His biggest pain point are penalties. In total, he was flagged 12 times this year with eight counting against the Steelers (three others were declined, a fourth offset). Among all NFL defensive backs, those eight flags were tied for seventh-most in 2023 even though he played limited snaps the first month of the season. If he can clean that up, he’ll emerge as one of the sport’s top cornerbacks.
Despite a strong rookie class overall, Porter was the only Steeler to appear on the All-Rookie list. DT Keeanu Benton lost out to the Los Angeles Rams’ Kobie Turner and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Carter, the latter the favorite to take home the hardware when the official award is announced next month.
