Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Asserts He's the Best Cornerback in the NFL

Dec 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;  Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) reacts against the Cincinnati Bengals during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 34-11.
Dec 23, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) reacts against the Cincinnati Bengals during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won 34-11. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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After just one year in the NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. is feeling very confident heading into his second season.

When asked who he thinks the best cornerback in the NFL is right now, he simply replied "Me, for sure," via The Athletic's Mark Kaboly.

Porter listed some other fellow cornerbacks in the league who he thinks are great right now—Jets' Sauce Gardner and Packers' Jaire Alexander, to name a couple. But he still places his performance last season above the rest.

“There are a lot of good DBs in this league. Nobody was doing what I was doing going against WR1s the entire year and locking him down," Porter continued. "I don’t care if I am mentioned in there or not because they are going to hear my name eventually.”

Porter's strong words may be reminiscent of his father's, former Steelers running back Joey Porter. The young Porter admitted he's had this confidence since he was a kid.

"I always try to keep my confidence up, my swagger up," Porter said. "Coming into the building, I always felt that I was that guy. You have to work to get that respect, but I think everybody understands what I can bring to the table. I always had the mentality as a kid of wanting the best just to see where I stack up. I am always going to pick me over anybody else. I always have had that confidence."

In 17 games and 11 starts with the team, Porter totaled 43 tackles, one interception and 10 passes defended. He finished fifth in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.