The postseason accolades keep coming in for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie cornerback [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag]. After being named to the 2023 All-Rookie Team by the Pro Football Writers of America on Tuesday, Porter Jr. was recognized Thursday as a finalist for the AP’s Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Porter Jr. was the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and followed in his father’s footsteps to Pittsburgh. He quickly became a stalwart on the outside for the Steelers. In his first NFL season, Porter had 43 total tackles and 10 pass deflections to go along with one interception. Porter made the playoffs in his first year in the league, but the Steelers were eliminated by the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wildcard.
Below is the list of all five finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year:
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year finalists:
- CB Joey Porter Jr. (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- DE Will Anderson Jr. (Houston Texans)
- CB Devon Witherspoon (Seattle Seahawks)
- DT Jalen Carter (Philadelphia Eagles)
- DT Kobie Turner (Los Angeles Rams)
Porter isn’t viewed as the favorite for the award, with Carter, Anderson, and Witherspoon seen as the defacto top three. Witherspoon, a former Illinois Fighting Illini, beat out Porter for the Big Ten’s Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year in 2022.
Whatever the outcome, Porter Jr. had a tremendous rookie season and looks to be a future building block for the Steelers. The winner will be announced at the NFL Honors on February 8th at 9 p.m. EST.