The Pittsburgh Steelers selected tackle Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and they even traded up a few spots to do so. On the heels of the Steelers making Jones their first-round selection, the first time the team had drafted a tackle in that round since 1996, speculation has been rampant as to whether the Georgia product will open his rookie season in Week 1 as a starter.
Should Jones indeed accomplish that feat, he will join a small group of Steelers offensive linemen who have done managed to do that. Below is a look at the previous Steelers players who started at tackle, guard or center, in Week 1 of their rookie seasons.
Terry Long – The Steelers selected Long in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft out of East Carolina, and he wound up opening his rookie season as the team’s starting left guard. There was a reason that happened, however, as then starting left guard Craig Wolfley was sidelined for that Week 1 contest after experiencing sudden back pain pregame. The Steelers unfortunately lost that 1984 Week 1 home game against the Kansas City Chiefs, 37-27. Long, for whatever it’s worth, started seven games in total as a rookie and 89 for his eight-year career in Pittsburgh.
Tom Ricketts – When it comes to Ricketts, the Steelers’ first-round selection in the 1989 NFL Draft out of Pittsburgh, his first NFL start also came in Week 1 of his rookie season. However, Ricketts’ first NFL start came at left guard and not left tackle, the position he played in college. That happened because of a thumb injury suffered by Ricketts during the summer. His starting at guard was a decision based on him playing there would help him protect that injury.
Ricketts eventually moved to left tackle during his rookie season, but he only wound up starting two games that year, the first two. In total, Ricketts started just 13 games in his three seasons in Pittsburgh.
Marvel Smith – The Steelers selected Smith in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft out of Arizona State and by Week 1 of his rookie season he had secured the starting right tackle position. That season, the Steelers opened at home against the Baltimore Ravens, and they were shut out, 16-0. Injuries derailed Smith some during his rookie season and he wound up starting just nine contests in 2000. Smith, however, did ultimately start 108 games for the Steelers during his nine seasons in Pittsburgh. Most of those came at left tackle.
Maurkice Pouncey – In 2010, the Steelers selected Pouncey in the first round of that year’s NFL Draft out of Florida and he promptly went on to win the starting center job that offseason by beating out veteran Justin Hartwig. Pouncey’s first NFL start came in Week 1 of the 2010 NFL season against the Atlanta Falcons and the Steelers won that home game in overtime, 15-9. Pouncey went on to start 134 total regular-season games at center for the Steelers.
Kendrick Green – In 2021, the Steelers selected Green in the third round of that year’s draft out of Illinois, and by Week 1 of his rookie season he was designated the team’s starting center after mostly playing guard in college. Green went on to start 15 games at center during his rookie season, but his poor overall play resulted in him effectively being benched by the end of the year. In 2022, Green had fallen out favor so much that he was never active for any of the team’s 17 regular-season games. On the heels of that, Green now finds himself battling for a 53-man roster spot this summer.
Dan Moore Jr. – One round after the Steelers selected Green in the 2021 NFL Draft, they picked Moore out of Texas A&M in the fourth. Like Green, Moore ultimately won a starting spot as a rookie, his being at left tackle. Moore went on to start 16 of the Steelers’ 17 regular-season games in 2021 as he missed the finale with an ankle injury.
In 2022, Moore started all 17 regular-season games for the Steelers at left tackle and he played 100 percent of the offensive snaps to boot. This summer, Moore will attempt to hold off Jones for the right to open Week 1 of the regular season as the Steelers starting left tackle.
