The NFL Draft is quickly approaching yet as of now we still don’t really know what direction the Pittsburgh Steelers and general manager Omar Khan will go in Round One. The majority opinion is that they either go tackle or cornerback, but it all depends on if one of the players they want falls to them at pick 17.
In Steve Palazzolo’s new mock draft for PFF, Pittsburgh lucked out at Georgia tackle Broderick Jones landed right in their lap.
“Jones is a bully of an offensive tackle,” wrote Palazzolo. “You’re not going through him, you’ll have to go around. He earned an 84.1 pass-blocking grade in his first full season starting at left tackle for the Bulldogs.”
So far this offseason Khan has put the emphasis on continuing to rebuild and improve Pittsburgh’s offensive line. In free agency he signed two guards, Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig to not only provide improvement over incumbent left guard Kevin Dotson but also to provide much needed depth.
However, the tackle position for the Steelers is still shaky. While the team has signed depth in Le’Raven Clark, the team can certainly upgrade over left tackle Dan Moore Jr. and right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. Jones could be the upgrade at left tackle.
Standing at 6’5″ and weighing 311 pounds, Jones is an uber-athletic tackle who can not only do well in pass protection, but is so athletic he can be a huge plus in the run game. This past season, Jones’ play for the Georgia Bulldogs received a place on the First Team All-SEC.
The Steelers clearly want to run the ball, while also providing good pass protection for Kenny Pickett. Jones provides the best of both worlds and with him still being young, only 21-years-old, he still has so much room to grow.
Although Dan Moore Jr. can certainly be upgraded on, him being the swing tackle for the team is great depth. The Steelers offensive line will certainly not be as healthy this year as it was last year. If the Steelers are going to improve and make the playoffs, they need their trenches to improve, and by bringing Jones in they improve their starting line up and their depth.
If you would like to watch a film breakdown of Jones, Michael Rochman did one back in January you can check out below.
