Porter is hoping to validate his claim this season

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Some of the greatest cornerbacks in league history either played for the Steelers or hailed from Pittsburgh. This list includes Hall of Famers Mel Blount, Rod Woodson, Ty Law and most recently Darrelle Revis. While he isn’t on that level yet, Steelers second-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr. certainly feels that he is well on his way.

Porter essentially said as much when he was recently asked to reveal who he thinks is the NFL’s best cornerback today.

“Me for sure,” he said, via The Athletic. “There are a lot of good DBs in this league, (but) 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.”

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The fifth cornerback taken in last year’s draft, Porter entered the Steelers’ starting lineup in Week 8, three weeks after he recorded his first career pick, which came against Lamar Jackson while helping Pittsburgh sew up a 17-10 win.

Porter didn’t have another pick last year, but he continued to provide the Steelers with steady coverage while more than holding his own against some of the league’s best wideouts. He was also extremely durable, as he played in 100% of Pittsburgh’s defensive snaps in seven games.

Fortunately for Porter, he will have plenty of opportunities to back up his claim in 2024. Inside the division, Porter is slated to face Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Amari Cooper a combined six times. Porter also has upcoming matchups against Atlanta’s Drake London, Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb, New York’s Garrett Wilson, Washington’s Terry McLaurin and Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown.