Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. Heavily Disrespected In Pro Football Focus' New Rankings

The Pittsburgh Steelers' first draft class with General Manager Omar Khan at the helm made the entire fan base extremely excited. Broderick Jones is expected to be the future of the franchise at left tackle, but one could argue, after the rookies' initial seasons, that Joey Porter Jr. has the brightest future of the group. The cornerback quickly emerged as the team's best at the position after he somehow fell out of the first round during the 2023 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he hasn't gotten enough respect and it appears that the lack of acknowledgment for his talents will continue as he enters his second year.

One of the most underrated parts of Porter's rookie season was his availability. He played in all 17 games and while he only hauled in one interception, it was a big one against the Baltimore Ravens. It's hard to find dozens of more promising young players than Porter, but Pro Football Focus decided to leave him out of a set of rankings that focused on the Top 25 players under the age of 25.

Zoltán Buday included four cornerbacks in his list, but went ahead and threw Derek Stingley Jr. on the list over Porter, a corner that has only played in 20 total games in two seasons, while Porter participated in all 17 during his first in 2023. Buday even acknowledged Stingley's injuries, but it apparently still made sense to put him at 23rd rather than electing to give props to the Steelers defender.

"Stingley's first season was somewhat disappointing and cut short due to injuries, and despite some injuries in 2023, too, he showed why he was the first cornerback selected in the 2022 NFL Draft," Buday wrote about Stingley.

It shouldn't have been expected for Porter to land within the Top 10 of Buday's list, but the fact that Kyle Pitts, a tight end that has struggled to find his footing in the NFL, is listed is absolutely a slap in the face to Porter. Pittsburgh's corner displayed the skills that are necessary to succeed at the professional level and is the unquestioned top corner on the Steelers' roster entering 2024.

Porter will often be tested with opposing teams' best wide receiver for the foreseeable future, but he is going to need some help. The Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, which led to cornerback Donte Jackson coming to the Steel City. That was the first step of fortifying the secondary, but more is going to be necessary if Pittsburgh wants to shut down AFC passing attacks.

It was originally rumored that Patrick Peterson could be coming back to town, but the interesting situation surround Cameron Sutton has raised questions about which defender the organization will try to reunite with. The foundation has been set with Porter, and the addition of Jackson won't hurt, but the reinforcements will be needed in order to form a reliable group.

Overall, Porter should be listed if someone is considering the best 25 players currently in the NFL under the age of 25. It's yet another example of PFF displaying some weird kind of bias against the Steelers. Pitts had a phenomenal rookie season, but has regressed significantly since. There are likely other players that could make an argument to be included, but Porter was absolutely disrespected.

Steelers Have Strong Core Of Young Players

Regardless of what PFF believes with questionable analytical evaluations, Pittsburgh is set up nicely when it comes to the foundation of the team's new era under Khan. Porter and Jones are the first that should be acknowledged, but players like Keeanu Benton and Nick Herbig, along with an impressive 2024 class, the Steelers are set up for years to come in many areas.