When you draft a player in the first round, you expect him be a long-term contributor for the organization. General Manager Omar Khan expressed those sentiments tonight in his press conference after the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Jones himself echoed those comments and said he can’t wait to get to work in Pittsburgh.
After he was drafted, Jones spoke with the Pittsburgh media, steamed on 93.7 The Fan, said that he is nowhere near his peak.
“I just can’t wait to get to Pittsburgh and start back the journey, it’s a whole new journey,” said Jones. “I can’t wait to start the process over, I can’t wait to keep growing and hit the peak of my growth. Because I’m not done yet, I’m not near as close to being to the end goal. So, you know, I’m ready to get back to work and perfect my craft.”
Those words from Jones are something the Steelers’ coaches are going to love and is a reason why head coach Mike Tomlin drafted him. A winner throughout his time a Georgia, Jones took a huge leap from his redshirt freshman year in 2021 to his sophomore year in 2022.
This past season, Jones started 15 games at left tackle. A first-team All-SEC in 2022, he helped lead the Bulldogs to their second straight national championship.
Jones isn’t a finished product, and he knows that as you can tell from his comments. The good news is that he is still very young, only 21-years-old. He has a lot of time to grow as a player and despite his high draft pick status, there is no need for him to start opening day. The Steelers do have Dan Moore Jr. in front of him, and if Jones isn’t quite ready come Week One that isn’t an issue.
Jones’ potential is off the charts. It is a reason to why the team traded up for him since they want a long-term left tackle for quarterback Kenny Pickett. With his work ethic and love for the game, if he follows through on what he said in his conference call with the Pittsburgh media, he will be the Steelers starting left tackle for a long, long time.
