The talk of the town all offseason is how, with assistant general manager Andy Weidl in the fold, the Pittsburgh Steelers would prioritize the trenches. In his time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Weidl helped build dominant offensive and defensive lines in Philly.
Today, in an NFL.com article about two ideal fits for NFL teams via the draft, the Steelers address the trenches. Chad Reuter has the Steelers selecting Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones at 17 and Clemson defensive lineman Bryan Bresee at 32.
“The Steelers haven’t selected an offensive lineman in the first round since 2012 (David DeCastro) but need an upgrade at left tackle,” wrote Reuter. “Jones attacks his man on run and pass plays — likely endearing himself to Pittsburgh coaches. With the early second-round pick coming from the Bears in the Chase Claypool trade, the Steelers can add the high-motor Bresee to play 5-technique, eventually becoming the team’s go-to defender once Cam Heyward retires.”
The Steelers have addressed their interior offensive line the past two offseason with some big acquisitions in free agency such as James Daniels, Mason Cole, and Isaac Seumalo. The opportunity to get one of the top tackle prospects to continue the lines rebuild makes sense.
Jones played primarily left tackle at Georgia where he was named to the Freshman All-SEC team in 2021 and the All-SEC team in 2022. While he does not have as much experience as some of the other tackles in the draft, Jones performed well in his two full seasons at college. This past season he received at 78.2 PFF grade.
Moving on to pick 32, Bresee is a name that has been linked to the Steelers for quite some time. While his best season was in 2020 prior to tearing his ACL, he is an athletic player who could become a high-level NFL player after developing behind Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi. In his best season, Bresee recorded 23 tackles, four sacks and one forced fumble.
The Jones pick would excite me way more than the Bresee pick. Jones could contribute right away and has a strong possibility of becoming a mainstay on the offensive line for a decade plus. Bresee, while having potential, is much more of a project/risk. While I do think the defensive line needs to be addressed, I am not sure I would address it before the cornerback position.
