When the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Joey Porter Jr. with the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the goal was to land a lockdown cornerback. But when Porter struggled with penalties and consistency in his first two seasons, these hopes went away. Fortunately, we now have more reason than ever to believe that Porter is the cornerback this team has been searching for.
Since Week 10, Porter has quietly put up some of the best advanced statistics you will see in the NFL. While his box score numbers are underwhelming, Porter has been on a rampage in shutting down opposing wide receivers.
Over the past five games, Porter has allowed a mere four receptions for 47 yards, according to Pro Football Focus's tracking. This was despite quarterbacks targeting receivers in his coverage 16 times.
However, more often than not, QBs have avoided Porter altogether. On a whopping 222 coverage snaps over the past five weeks, Porter has rarely seen the ball come in his direction. This isn't because quarterbacks are threatened by his ability to take the ball away (he doesn't scare anyone in that regard). It's because his coverage has been so sticky.
The Pittsburgh Steelers found a true lockdown cornerback in Joey Porter Jr.
While Porter could plummet back down to earth with a bad week, by now, it's clear that the Pittsburgh Steelers have found the lockdown, man-cover cornerback they've been searching for. Some may not be fans of Porter's aggressive play style, and he needs to continue to clean up his grabbiness. There's no denying that Porter has been outstanding in recent weeks.
And it's not just because of a lack of competition.
During Porter's outstanding stretch of games, the young cornerback has gone up against receivers like Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Zay Flowers, and Jaylen Waddle. So to give up just 47 yards over the past five weeks is unheard of.
As a result of his excellence, Porter has allowed a passer rating of just 39.5 to opposing quarterbacks during this span. Porter also hasn't allowed a touchdown all season (thanks largely to the Isaiah Likely touchdown, which was overturned in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens).
While Porter hasn't been making highlight plays with splashy interceptions or earning elite grades from Pro Football Focus, he has quietly locked down the opposing team's best receiver, and he's currently on an excellent pace. He's starting to look like the lockdown cover-corner this team hasn't had since Ike Taylor in his prime days. Let's hope it continues.