With the NFL Combine underway, NFL Draft talk is heating up. Who will each team choose when they are on the clock in Round One? Well, Josh Edwards of CBS Sports believes the Pittsburgh Steelers will address their offensive line.
Today Edwards came out with a mock draft, which has the Steelers selecting Georgia tackle Broderick Jones at 17, the first time the Steelers have drafted an offensive lineman in the first round since David DeCastro in 2012.
“Pittsburgh has not invested more than a third-round pick into its offensive line since Mike Tomlin was hired in 2007,” wrote Edwards. “The Steelers have used 10 of their 15 first-round picks on the defensive side of the ball. The gap had been even wider three years ago before they had selected Najee Harris and Kenny Pickett. He has picked two offensive linemen over the same time period — David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey. It is time for them to return to the offensive line.”
While Edwards is wrong about the Steelers not using more than a third-round pick on the offensive line since 2007 (Maurkice Pouncey, DeCastro, Mike Adams, Marcus Gilbert, and Kraig Urbik were all selected in the first two rounds under head coach Mike Tomlin), since 2012 a first or second-round pick has not been used not the offensive line.
Given the Steelers’ offense has their quarterback and skill position weapons, and the defense is the strength of the team, it makes sense for the team to finally prioritize the offensive line. Selecting Jones indicates the team wants to make left tackle their strength likely to upgrade over Dan Moore Jr. who currently occupies the starting spot on the blind side.
Jones, a redshirt sophomore, received accolades in both his first two seasons being named to the Coaches Freshman All-SEC Team in 2021, and the AP All-SEC First Team in 2022. Jones has also seen snaps at both left and right tackles showing that he can slot in on either side of the line with no issues. This makes him even more valuable given that he can perform at a high level no matter what side he is on.
Listed at 6’4″ 310 pounds, Jones is a bit on the smaller size but given his athletic ability, he can still be a high-quality left tackle in the NFL. His athleticism is a big reason why he is such a highly touted product. PFF even gave him a good rating of 78.2 this past season.
Steelers Depot’s Michael Rochman did a tape breakdown on Jones over a month ago if you would like to see more in-depth analysis of what makes Jones such a good prospect.
With the Steeles needing help at offensive line Jones would be a good pick. What makes Jones appealing is his ability to play on both sides, his athleticism, which could be very helpful in a system that is built on running the football, and his college production. While there are other positions like cornerback Pittsburgh needs to address during the NFL Draft, I don’t think many people would be upset with Jones being the Steelers’ pick at 17.
