3 Steelers most deserving of making the Pro Bowl

3. Joey Porter Jr., Cornerback

The final Pittsburgh Steelers player most deserving of making the Pro Bowl this year is Joey Porter Jr. I know this might seem bizarre at first. Usually, Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick are shoo-ins on this list, but Cam missed the first half of the season with a groin injury and Minkah has missed ample time this year (and hasn't recorded a single interception when on the field).

If Pro Bowl voters are looking only at box score numbers, you could find countless players more impressive than Porter. However, the moment he stepped on the field as a rookie, he was the best cornerback on the team.

This shows up on tape. Entering Week 16, Porter has been credited for allowing just 20 receptions on 44 targets (45.5 percent) for 283 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, per Pro Football Focus. This equates to a passer rating of just 64.9 allowed in his coverage on the season.

Porter is far from a perfect player, as evidenced by his cringeworthy 11 penalties this season. But he has been bordering on being a shutdown cornerback in most games he has played this year. The bar isn't very high to be one of the top five players on the Steelers roster this year, but Porter has found a way to do just that.

When talking specifically about the Pro Bowl, there just aren't a lot of exceptional cornerbacks in the NFL this year, and most of the best CBs are in the NFC. Because of the lack of competition and how Porter has performed in respect to the AFC peers at his position, you could probably make a stronger case for Joey Porter Jr. earning Pro Bowl honors than anyone not named T.J. Watt or Chris Boswell on this team.