The demands on rookies in the NFL seem to go up significantly every year. Thankfully it seems as if rookies get to the league more prepared than ever before. Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers got themselves a great one in cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
Technically a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Porter ended up playing in all 17 games with 11 starts. On the season, Porter played 807 defensive snaps and did something no other rookie had ever done before. Porter only allowed 24 receptions, best of all time among rookie cornerbacks with at least 800 snaps.
Here’s how the top seven break down:
1) Joey Porter Jr.: 24
2) Sauce Gardner: 33
3) Marshon Lattimore: 36
4) Jaylon Johnson: 41
5) Pat Surtain II: 49
6) Jaire Alexander: 51
7) Jalen Ramsey: 54
Porter was the best rookie cornerback in the NFL last season. Porter took it very personally when he slid and saw four cornerbacks go ahead of him. But everything worked out perfectly as Porter was selected by the team where his father was a star and he gets to carry on that legacy.
