Since being inserted into the starting line in Week Eight against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. has been quite the player.
Porter, the No. 32 overall pick to open the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, has developed into a true lockdown cornerback for the Steelers as a rookie, taking on the top matchups each week in coverage and holding his own.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that Porter has been one of the top rookies in the NFL this season, landing on the CBS Sports All-Rookie team Monday from Chris Trapasso.
Porter was one of two cornerbacks on the All-Rookie team, joined by Seattle’s Devon Witherspoon, who was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
“The Steelers didn’t play Porter Jr. right out of the gate, and once they did, he became their steadiest cornerback in Year 1,” Trapasso writes regarding Porter on the All-Rookie team. “The interception in the end zone was the key play in the October win over the Ravens, and he defended 10 total passes while allowing a lone touchdown. The length and athleticism jumped off the film at Penn State and in Pittsburgh in Porter Jr.’s first season.”
Porter has allowed just 24 receptions for 352 yards on the season, letting up just one touchdown, which came in Week Eight against the Jaguars. Of those 352 receiving yards allowed, just 118 yards came after the catch.
Porter had some issues early on in his career from a tackling perspective, but he bounced back in a major way, becoming a solid, consistent tackler in the Steelers’ secondary, elevating his game in that area.
Along with his improvement from a tackling perspective, Porter was a lockdown corner, finishing his rookie season with a grade of 66.5 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a grade of 69.5 in coverage. He allowed a completion percentage of just 45.3 on targets that came his way on the season and allowed a passer rating of just 72.4 while playing 807 snaps defensively.
Additionally, according to Next Gen Stats, Porter was outstanding in coverage, allowing just 0.9 yards per coverage snap this season as the nearest defender. That number is the fourth-lowest of any outside corner in the NFL with at least 250 coverage snaps, per Next Gen Stats.
It sure looks like the Steelers have a true No. 1 corner moving forward.
That said, he has to clean up some of the penalty issues that he dealt with this season, getting called for 12 penalties on the season. It’s an adjustment going from the college game to the NFL at the cornerback position, but based on his development this season, Porter will be able to clean that up moving forward.
