In the lead-up to training camps opening around the NFL, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has begun to roll other his yearly series of positional rankings. The Pittsburgh Steelers had no representation on the running back rankings, and now shockingly don’t have a name in the top 10 cornerback rankings, as Joey Porter Jr. was left off the list.
The complete top 10, per coaches and front office personnel around the league, are as follows:
- Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos
- Derek Stingley, Houston Texans
- Christian Gonzalez, New England Patriots
- Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks
- Trent McDuffie, Los Angeles Rams
- Quinton Mitchell, Philadelphia Eagles
- Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
- Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers
- Sauce Gardner, Indianapolis Colts
- Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles
Porter was left out of the top 10 despite allowing a lower passer rating than
everyone on the list except for Stingley, and his catch rate over expected of -11 percent was the best among all the cornerbacks listed.
The Penn State product was listed as an honorable mention on the list, and one NFC defensive coach praised his play.
“He takes all the stress off the pass defense,” the coach said. “He matches the best receiver in man coverage, and teams roll away from him in zone.”
Porter is in line for a contract extension, as he is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Based off market value, the eventual extension will likely garner an annual average value of $27-31 million per year.
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