Being a rookie in the NFL isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There often is a steep learning curve when it comes to the playbook and terminology from the college game to the pros. On top of that, the speed of the game drastically increases with players just as good as you or better moving at a faster pace than in the college game.
Even for the most talented rookies, the transition can be a struggle. Steelers Depot’s very own Alex Kozora recently wrote about rookie OT Broderick Jones and taking his lumps in training camp practice, getting beat bad by DL Cameron Heyward in one-on-ones while beating EDGE Toby Nduwke, a practice squad hopeful, on two reps.
OLB Alex Highsmith was asked about his impressions of Jones and TE Darnell Washington thus far into training camp and if the two rookies have shown noticeable development.
“Yeah, I think that I’ve seen steady improvement from those guys,” Highsmith said on video from Steelers.com. “Coming in from when camp started to now, I see those guys improving. So, it was good working against them, the iron-on-iron principle that Coach Tomlin always talks about. So, just continue to get work in against those guys I think is good. I think they’ve been growing, so it’s been cool to work against them.”
Jones and Washington were bullies together at the University of Georgia, dominating in the running game while playing side-by-side together and showing promise in pass protection. Washington has flashed both as a blocker as well as a receiver thus far in training camp, overcoming a slow first couple of days to stand up OLB T.J. Watt in back-to-back reps in backs on ‘backers while being a red zone nightmare for defensive backs and linebackers to cover.
Highsmith has gone against both rookies in training camp and has had his fair share of wins against the first-year players. However, Highsmith sees both Jones and Washington progressing as camp rolls on, the game slowing down for them as they become more comfortable playing against a higher competition level than at Georgia.
Both Jones and Washington expect to be heavy contributors early on in the 2023 season with Jones fighting for the starting left tackle job with Washington likely being the team’s No. 2 tight end in base/heavy personnel packages. The more both progress in the preseason, the more likely both will see the field early in Week One against the San Francisco 49ers.
