It’s been quite a week for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie right tackle Broderick Jones.
After having the “OR” designation removed between he and Chukwuma Okorafor on the depth chart at right tackle, making Jones the full-time starter, the Georgia product also put together a solid showing against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. That bumped his overall Pro Football Focus grade into the top slot among rookie offensive tackles in the NFL.
Jones, who graded out at a 65.0 overall from PFF against the Browns, including a 60.3 as a run blocker and a 67.6 in pass protection, surpassed Chicago’s Darnell Wright as the highest-graded offensive tackle in the draft class. Jones currently sits at a 62.8 on the season.
“Jones has solidified his hold on the right tackle position in Pittsburgh and is now the highest-graded rookie tackle in the NFL. Though he did allow a sack to Ogbo Okoronkwo, Jones held up nicely against a tough Browns front,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman writes. “His 65.0 overall grade was his second best of the year, and he’s allowed only four pressures across 98 pass-blocking snaps at right tackle.”
Against the Browns, Jones played all 58 snaps, allowing just two pressures on 34 drop backs. He did allow the aforementioned sack to Okoronkwo and struggled with speed off the edge at times against the veteran pass rusher, but for the most part Jones was steady.
On the season, Jones has allowed just eight pressures in 172 pass blocking reps, allowing just one sack. He’s also been called for just one penalty on the season.
Jones’ showing against the Browns was his highest grade for a game since Week Five against Baltimore when he started at left tackle for the injured Dan Moore Jr. That day, Jones graded out at a 74.8 from PFF. Since then, Jones has had game grades of 60.6, 58.8, 55.3 and now the 65.0 against the Browns.
In the loss to Cleveland, Jones had a key block to spring Jaylen Warren on his 74-yard touchdown run to open the second half. Pulling and getting out in front to get a hat on a defensive back, he cleared a lane for Warren to sprint through, giving the Steelers life.
The rookie continues to get better and better every week — which is expected — as he continues to gain more experience. Though he’s gaining the experience at right tackle instead of left tackle, the position he was expected to play when the Steelers traded up to draft him, Jones has locked down the position and helped solidify the offensive line.
