PFF ranks Joey Porter 32nd amongst NFL cornerbacks
PFF ranks Joey Porter 32nd amongst NFL cornerbacks
It didn’t take long for Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr to make an impact as a rookie.
Of all cornerbacks with at least 150 coverage snaps, the Penn State product allowed the third-lowest reception percentage in the NFL. He finished fifth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, tied with fellow cornerback stud Brian Branch from the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker YaYa Diaby.
However, that type of high-level play didn’t impress PFF, who ranked him 32nd amongst NFL cornerbacks earlier this month.
“Porter concludes the list, as he turned in an excellent rookie season for the Steelers in 2023,” PFF analyst John Kosko wrote. “His coverage grades took a hit the last few weeks of the season but he was still preventing separation at a high level. He allowed just one touchdown pass and just 0.76 yards per cover snap in 2023.”
It goes without say that putting Porter so low is asinine. To compare, Doug Farrar of USA Today ranked Porter as the eighth best perimeter cornerback in the league. Porter ranked himself No. 5 in his personal list of top cornerbacks in the league when speaking to Jordan Schultz.