Tag: Joey Porter Jr.

Joey Porter Jr. sounded exactly like his dad after brashly calling himself the NFL’s best CB

The black and gold apple never falls far from the tree.

The Porter NFL family has never been short on confidence. Pittsburgh Steelers great Joey Porter Sr. built an entire prolific playing career — filled with Pro Bowls, All-Pros, and a Super Bowl — around trash talk and extremely high belief in his own talents.

His son, Joey Porter Jr., is unsurprisingly doing the same.

After a Pittsburgh OTA practice last week, a confident Porter said he’s already the NFL’s best cornerback. Mind you, the boundary defender has not made a single Pro Bowl or All-Pro team yet, and he’s only entering his second year in the league.

But that’s how the Porters operate. They try to get ahead of the curve. They try to speak things into existence:

More from Mark Kaboly of The Athletic:

So his answer was pretty much a given when he was asked, “Who is the best cornerback in the NFL?”
“Me for sure,” Porter said following an OTA practice last week …
“There are a lot of good DBs in this league,” Porter said. “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.”
Porter’s comments are only brazen because he hasn’t really achieved anything notable quite yet. He has the talent and pedigree to be an elite cornerback and may well play like that this season on a stout Pittsburgh defense. It wouldn’t be shocking to see his play rise into the stratosphere very soon.
But for now, he sounds like his dad. And that’s not a bad thing, considering where his dad’s NFL career ended up.

Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr. named one of the top press corners in the NFL

Joey Porter Jr. looked like a seasoned veteran last season as a rookie.

Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. entered the league with a chip on his shoulder. Despite being the No. 32 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, he was technically a second-round pick and this stung for the former Penn State star.

Porter came to the Steelers as a legacy player after his dad, Joey Sr., who is one of the best pass rushers in franchise history. From the moment he stepped on the field, Porter set out to prove he was the equal to or even better than the cornerbacks selected ahead of him.

And for the most part, he succeeded. Porter quickly assimilated himself into the NFL and drew the responsibility of shadowing the opposing team’s top cornerback.

According to our friends over at Touchdown Wire, this made Porter one of the best press cornerbacks in the NFL last season. They broke down Porter’s game and here’s what they had to say as they ranked him No. 6 in the league.

Porter lived up to everything Tomlin could have wanted in his rookie campaign. He lined up in press on 227 of his 876 snaps, allowing 19 catches on 37 press targets for 7.6 yards per catch, five explosive plays, no touchdowns, and one interception.

Porter can move upfield with match coverage skills, but as much as anybody on this list, his game is really about snuffing out any kind of catch with his physicality and aggression to the ball. It doesn’t matter who he’s up against; in Porter’s mind, the ball is more his than the other guy’s.

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DB Patrick Peterson might still be the best FA option for the Steelers

Patrick Peterson thinks he can come in and excel as a nickel cornerabck and the Steelers better be listening.

When it comes to the cornerback position, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set with No. 1 corner Joey Porter Jr. However, after Porter, this depth chart has more questions than answers in terms of who will play where. With the NFL draft in the books, it’s all about who is available in free agency.

But there is still a guy out there, a guy who is going to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday who knows the team pretty well. Patrick Peterson went on his All Things Covered Podcast and talked about what his role could be on an NFL defense this season.

“It don’t necessarily have to be a starting situation because I understand the way the league is going, said Peterson. “As far as a backup role, it would have to be like a nickel position because I feel like I can excel at a nickel position. I feel like I can guard whoever’s number two or three receiver in the slot position of a defense. I feel like over the course of the year I started to get more and more comfortable with the assignments.”

If the Steelers could get Peterson back to play the nickel, it might be the final piece of the puzzle in the secondary. We are still holding out hope that Cory Trice Jr. will be healthy this season and can compete to be the primary backup on the outside to Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson.

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The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Inside the NFL’s press coverage revolution

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get deep into a new press coverage revolution in today’s NFL.

Over the last few seasons in the NFL, a lot of coaches and executives have tailored their defensive schemes in one specific fashion — an increase in press coverage from their cornerbacks. Not only the old-school aggressive press-man coverage we all know, but also mirror-match press man coverage, where a cornerback trails the receiver through his route as the route is declared.

Why? Because NFL offenses have found all kinds of ways to beat the old Seattle Cover-3 stuff from a decade ago with 3×1 and 2×2 receiver sets, and the route concepts inherent in those deployments. Now, if you’re rolling out that “Country Cover-3,” your defense is going to be in trouble.

There’s also the element of quick game in the league, which has increased in recent years. When the quarterback is throwing out of zero- to three-step drops, there are times when edge defenders simply don’t have time to get to the quarterback before the ball comes out. So, logic dictates that if you can’t disrupt the quarterback in the timing of the down, you need to disrupt the timing of the receivers’ routes, forcing the quarterback to delay his reads and throws, and giving those pass-rushers that extra split millisecond to get home.

In this week’s edition of “The Xs and Os,” Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, investigate the NFL’s changes in press coverage, and the players who do it the best, including...

  • L’Jarius Sneed of the Titans;
  • A.J. Terrell of the Falcons;
  • Martin Emerson Jr. of the Browns;
  • Patrick Surtain Jr. of the Broncos;
  • Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner of the Jets; and
  • Joey Porter Jr. of the Steelers.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell” right here:

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Steelers invite cousin of CB Joey Porter Jr. to rookie minicamp

Shon Stephens is a speedy cornerback from Ferris State.

One of the more interesting names the Pittsburgh Steelers have shown an interest in after the 2024 NFL draft is Ferris State cornerback Shon Stephens. Not because he’s an elite prospect but because he is the cousin of Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.

Stephens posted a 40-yard dash in the 4.3’s and repped 225 pounds 19 times on the bench press at Michigan State’s pro day at only 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds.

Stephens is obviously a longshot to make the team and considering he has also accepted an invite to the Philadelphia Eagles rookie camp first. There’s a real possibility Stephens signs with the Eagles and never makes it to Pittsburgh. But maybe, just maybe he’ll see those family ties and want to play football with his cousin.

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Giants select CB Joey Porter Jr. in 2023 NFL re-draft

The New York Giants pass on Deonte Banks and select Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. in The Athletic’s recent 2023 NFL re-draft.

The New York Giants selected Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks with the 24th overall selection in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Banks started 13 games as a rookie for the Giants and put together some decent numbers: 55 tackles (44 solo) with 11 passes defensed and two interceptions.

But some think the Giants could have done better. Joey Porter Jr. was on the board and they chose Banks over him.

Count The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner as one of the many who believe the Giants should have gone with Porter over Banks. Keep in mind the Giants had the 25th pick and traded up with Jacksonville one spot to grab Banks.

That trade cost them an additional two picks (Nos. 160 and 240), so they used three picks to move up to take him. Baumgardner has the Giants staying at 25 and taking Porter in his re-draft of the 2023 NFL draft.

No. 25: New York Giants – CB Joey Porter Jr., Penn State

There are things to work on here — Porter was a handsy and physical player in college, and some of that translated to the league in a negative way (12 penalties last year). However, Porter was still very tough to crack in coverage and should shave off some of those penalties with experience.

Porter was taken with the first pick in the second round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team last year.

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2024 NFL draft: Steelers hosting speedy CB for Top 30 visit

The Steelers traded for Donte Jackson but still need more help at cornerback.

According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Pittsburgh Steelers will host former Rutgers cornerback Max Melton for a Top 30 predraft visit.

The Steelers added cornerback Donte Jackson in the trade that sent top wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. He should be a solid outside starter to pair up with Joey Porter Jr. Nevertheless, another top cornerback is needed, whether in the slot or boundary.

Melton is a natural slot cornerback but isn’t limited to just that. He is a long strider with good length and lots of closing speed. Melton also has exceptional ball skills and does a great job tracking the football in the air. The only real downside of Melton’s game as far as the Steelers go is his struggles in defending the run.

Melton projects as a late second, early third-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. His skills in many other draft classes would warrant him being selected higher but this class is very deep and talented.

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Penn State NFL draft prospect stock watch: Kalen King

Penn State cornerback Kalen King has been seeing his draft stock trend in the wrong direction.

The NFL draft is often a crapshoot, regardless of all the time and effort put into scouting the thousands of potential pro prospects every season. Teams, top draft analysts, media, and the average fan all have their opinions, but ultimately it’s a very inexact science. Players billed as first-rounders before the season fall into the late rounds, and unheralded guys blow up and end up in the first.

For Penn State, no player has seen their draft stock change as much as corner [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag]. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been for the better. King entered his junior season coming off a stellar 2022 campaign, one so good it made scouts wonder if he was a better pro prospect than former teammate and current Pittsburgh Steelers corner [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag]

His season did not go as planned, but he still was being mocked in the late first round as recently as two months ago. He was able to participate in the Senior Bowl thanks to a new rule allowing some underclassmen, but his performance was memorable for all the wrong reasons.

His attempt at improving his stock at the NFL combine also fell flat, with a very disappointing workout.

 

He improved his 40 time at Penn State’s pro day, but his speed on tape lines up with his combine time. He is much quicker than fast, which doesn’t play well at outside corner. He profiles more as a slot player with his size and speed limitations, but he has almost no experience there at the college level.

Some have even suggested he could be moved to safety, which he has even less experience playing. It’s no surprise with all the uncertainty surrounding his NFL role that his stock continues to plummet. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, King has fallen to a day-3 projected pick. That may end up being an overreaction but with the number of solid options at corner, it’s a real possibility.

I still believe King could become a good NFL player, but you can’t ignore his flaws. Hopefully whoever selects him has a solid plan in place to allow him to use his strengths.

Stock: Down

Senior Bowl gives Kalen King another chance to show that he’s a first-round talent

Kalen King enters Senior Bowl week in hopes of cementing himself as a first round pick

The Reese’s Senior Bowl week is almost upon us, with practices kicking off this week and the game scheduled for Saturday, February 3. Penn State will have three representatives, including [autotag]Adissa Isaac[/autotag] and [autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag], but the most high-profile Nittany Lion is junior cornerback [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag].

In the first year that the Senior Bowl has extended invites to underclassmen, King jumped at the opportunity to improve his draft stock. King is a borderline first-round draft pick, ranking between 26th and 47th overall on big boards. ESPN ranks him as the 33rd-best prospect, Pro Football Network has him as the 26th overall player, and Pro Football Focus ranks him as 47th.

King’s 2022 season when playing opposite [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] was sensational and well-received by Pro Football Focus, giving him an overall grade of 89 on a 1-100 scale. He was named second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and selected third-team All-America by Pro Football Focus. This year, he took a bit of a step back and only had one pass breakup with no interceptions. However, King’s run defense graded well this year and will be a big thing to watch as next week gets rolling.

At 5-foot-11, King is a tad undersized for an outside corner, and his lack of physical ability as a corner was exposed when he went against uber-physical receivers like Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. The Senior Bowl week will be paramount for King to show NFL teams that he can stack up against bigger receivers and that his performance against the Buckeyes was just a fluke.

His football IQ and play recognition should be on full display throughout the week of practices. King is a tremendous ball-hawk, but translating those pass deflections into turnovers is an area he needs to work on. As a more than capable coverage defender in zone and man, King showing scouts that he can match up in man coverage with larger receivers will be critical in eliminating doubts about his size.

The Reese’s Senior Bowl will kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 3, and broadcasted on the NFL Network.

Follow Charlie Strella on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram.

Former Penn State star cornerback Joey Porter Jr. named a finalist for the NFL’s DROY

Former Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. named finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

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:

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.

Follow Charlie Strella on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram.