Joey Porter Jr. is entering his second year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s certainly not lacking in confidence

Humility doesn’t seem to be Joey Porter Jr.’s strong suit.

The 23-year-old cornerback is in his second year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The athlete was asked by “The Athletic” reporter during OTAs who was the best in his craft. The clear answer from Porter Jr.: “Me, for sure.”

He continued: “There are a lot of good defensive backs in this league. But nobody has done what I’ve done, which is go against the opposing No. 1 wide receiver all year and take him out of the game.”

According to the Steelers pro, “it doesn’t matter if I’m mentioned among the top cornerbacks or not, because they’re going to hear my name at some point. “

Porter Jr. has had a strong rookie season. In 17 games, eleven of them as a starter, the second-round pick out of 2023 totaled 43 tackles (one for loss of space), one interception and ten passes intercepted. He finished fifth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

While he mentioned some of the league’s greats at the cornerback position – including Sauce Gardner, Patrick Surtain II, Jaire Alexander and Denzel Ward – he says the difficulty of his own assignments sets him apart from his position-mates.

Joey Porter Jr. convinced of himself

“I always try to maintain my confidence and poise. When I walked into the building, I always felt like I was that guy. You have to earn that respect, but I think everyone understands what I can do,” says the 23-year-old.

He added: “I always had the mentality as a kid to want the best, just to see where I stood. I will always choose me and not someone else. I’ve always had that self-confidence.”

Incidentally, this self-confidence is no coincidence. His father, Joey Porter Sr., has been known to cause a stir with his words in the Steelers’ past.