Earlier this year, Joey Porter Jr. was quoted calling himself the top cornerback in football. While he, like any good corner, has to have a high opinion of themselves, Porter showed the rest of the league some love, too. Speaking with Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, Porter ranked the best corners in the game today.
Here’s his top five.
1. L’Jarius Sneed/Titans
2. Trent McDuffie/Chiefs
3. Jaylon Johnson/Bears
4. Patrick Surtain II/Broncos
5. Joey Porter Jr./Steelers
In the above tweet and video, Porter called McDuffie a “baller” and Johnson a “dog.” Of course, Porter had to include himself on the list, too.
“I’ll probably throw myself in there, obviously,” he told Schultz. “Gotta throw my name.”
A solid list of corners that show the new-age of the position. Not included on his list are aging and current/former elite players like Jalen Ramsey, though he still picked off three passes and made the Pro Bowl a year ago. Interestingly, the New York Jets’ Sauce Gardner doesn’t crack Porter’s top five, though it seems Porter was pulling the names off the top of his head.
Sneed found a new home this offseason. Tagged and traded by the Kansas City Chiefs to the Tennessee Titans, he’ll look to bolster a Titans’ team undergoing a roster facelift under new head coach Brian Callahan. The Chiefs will roll with McDuffie as their top corner, who came up large in the team’s Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers. He made three tackles and broke up three passes in the overtime win.
Johnson had a chance to become Porter’s teammate. Rumors swirled during the trade deadline of Chicago shopping Johnson with the Steelers reportedly showing interest. Ultimately, the Bears hung onto Johnson and signed him to a long-term deal prior to free agency, eliminating the chance Pittsburgh could make a run.
Surtain has cornerback running through his DNA after his dad spent 11 years in the league and made three Pro Bowls. He’s a rock solid corner who isn’t talked about enough but has made the Pro Bowl his last two seasons.
Though Porter’s of the right mindset to include him on that list, he’s not a top five corner right now. Not after just one rookie season. Pro Football Focus ranked him at No. 32 in their offseason list. But his ceiling is sky-high and in our tape review, we came away excited by the encore performance he could put on his sophomore season. With a strong season that includes a couple more splash plays, Porter won’t just be on his list of top five corners. He’ll be on plenty of national ones, too.
