Which Steelers rookie has the best chance to win Rookie of the Year?
1. Joey Porter Jr.
Put simply, a cornerback needs ball production to take home the Rookie of the Year award. The last three cornerbacks to win the award (Sauce Gardner, Marshon Lattimore, and Marcus Peters) all defensed at least 18 passes in the year they won the award. Gardner only intercepted two passes (Lattimore had five while Peters had eight), but he defensed 22 total passes. Furthermore, two cornerbacks have never won the award in consecutive years.
As Joey Porter Jr. only had one career interception in college, ranking him as the most likely Steelers’ rookie to win the award may seem confusing. But this could be a high-risk, high-reward situation for Porter Jr.
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As a rookie corner, many teams will try to test him, something that didn’t happen for most of his career at Penn State. If Porter can convert those targets into broken-up passes and interceptions, he could rack up enough production to make a run at the award. He has already earned praise from teammate Patrick Peterson, which is encouraging for his Rookie of the Year campaign.