The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been shy about their intentions of overhauling their offensive line this offseason, signing Nate Herbig and Isaac Seumalo last week to figuratively relegate former starting LG Kevin Dotson to the bench.
While the right side of the offensive line held its own last season with C Mason Cole and RG James Daniels playing particularly well down the stretch, the team could continue its overhaul by replacing the OL’s other weak link: LT Dan Moore Jr.
That is exactly what NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jerimiah did in his most recent mock draft, sending Georgia OT Broderick Jones to the Steelers at #17 overall in the first round.
“This would be a dream scenario for the Steelers as they continue to overhaul their offensive line this offseason,” Jeremiah wrote on the selection of Jones.
Jones looks the part of a potential franchise LT, standing 6’5, 311lb with 34 3/4” arms and 10 5/8” hands. Jones tested well at the NFL Combine, running a 4.97 40 while jumping 30” in the vert and 9’0” in the broad. You see that athleticism pop on the tape as well as he does a great job getting out in space as a run blocker, showing off his movement skills as well as his strength to overwhelm smaller defenders in the ground game.
While Jones didn’t allow a sack last season for the Bulldogs, the redshirt sophomore still is pretty raw in pass protection. He carries his hands low prior to his punch and can be inconsistent in terms of synching up his hands and feet in pass sets. He is also fairly lean as an OT and will face tougher competition on the edge at the next level, which will challenge his technique as well as his size and frame with power.
Jones is a younger prospect (he turns 22 in May) who has only started 19 games in three seasons at Georgia. While he has some impressive physical traits, you often prefer tackles to have more experience and to be further along in their development than where Jones is before you thrust them into the starting job on the blindside. While Jones has more upside than Moore, the latter would likely continue to start over Jones for the majority, if not the entire 2023 season, until Jones is ready to take the starting job.
That being the case, it may be wiser for Pittsburgh to elect to draft a starting RT like Dawand Jones or Darnell Wright and move Chuks Okorafor back to his original position of LT and kick Moore to swing tackle. While Jones has the athleticism and upside that is tantalizing at the position, I wouldn’t expect him to be the pick at 17, if he was there, given his lack of experience and need for further development before being pro ready.
