Confidence will never be an issue for Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr.

During his playing days in the early 2000s, former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter never lacked confidence. That personality trait has clearly been passed down to his son.

Recently, Joey Porter Jr. spoke with Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, who asked the second-year cornerback who the best cornerback in the NFL is today. He responded just like his father would have.

"Me for sure. 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. I don’t care if I am mentioned in there or not because they are going to hear my name eventually."

- Joey Porter Jr., via The Athletic

Porter has a reason to be confident. Though he committed a total of 12 penalties in 17 games as a rookie (four of which were declined), Porter had a short-term memory and would move on to the next play like it never happened.

His confidence, combined with his length and physicality, aided him to an impressive rookie season in 2023. By the end of this rookie season, Porter had allowed just 30 of 63 passes to be completed in his coverage for 449 yards (7.1 yards per target) while allowing 1 touchdown and recording 1 interception. This equated to a passer rating of just 70.1 surrendered on the year, per advanced stats from Pro Football Reference.

The film was every bit as impressive as the advanced data would suggest, as Porter followed the opposing number one receiver all over the field and showcased sticky press-man coverage on a play-to-play and game-to-game basis.

Pro Football Focus had Porter allowing just 47.4 percent of targets to be completed in his direction in 2023 -- the lowest mark among all cornerbacks thrown at 50 or more times.

Joey Porter Jr. can be as good as advertised

Thanks to his unmatched confidence, Joey Porter Jr. could become the player he already believes he is. Though the former second-round pick isn't often mentioned among the best cornerbacks in the league, this is something that could come in time.

This is not a Chase Claypool situation either. Claypool went viral when he claimed he was a top-three receiver in the NFL. However, the circumstances were very different. Claypool made this claim entering his third NFL season after seeing his receptions, yards, and touchdowns decrease. Just months later, he was traded to the Chicago Bears.

Nobody believed Claypool's claim was attainable because of what we saw on the field. With Porter, it's different.

From the time he stepped into a starting role as a rookie in 2023, it was easy to see how his traits could help him become one of the best press-man, lockdown cornerbacks in the National Football League. A feisty competitor, Porter was always in the hip pocket of the wide receiver he was matched up against.

Though the second-year CB will need to clean up his grabbiness to take the next step, nobody is doubting that it can be done. You simply don't see many 6'2 1/2'' cornerbacks with 34'' arms and 4.46 speed who showcase sticky coverage ability like Joey Porter Jr.

When you combine the traits with a competitive demeanor and unparalleled confidence, you get a player who could be the best in the game at his position.