NFL analyst Brian Baldinger is a big fan of Pittsburgh Steelers OT Broderick Jones. During an appearance on All Things Covered with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden, Baldinger said that Jones will be a “star” in the NFL. In the context of what the Steelers are going to do in the draft, Baldinger thinks the team will select a center in the first two rounds round to continue building their offensive line and shouted out Jones.
“I think they’re going to draft a center in either the first or second round. They need a center, they went heavy on trying to upgrade the offensive line last year,” Baldinger said. “Broderick Jones is going to be a star in this league, I don’t even know if he’s 22 yet, but he can flat-out play.”
Jones is already 22 and will turn 23 on May 16, but he’s still young with a lot of room for growth. Inserting him into the starting lineup at right tackle immediately improved the Steelers run game, and while Jones still had lapses in pass protection, a full offseason to work and grow should hopefully help him improve from where he was last season. Even though he didn’t start until Week Nine, he did seem to hit a bit of a wall at the end of the season, and he came into the league with just one full season of starting experience at Georgia.
The big question for Jones is whether the team keeps him at right tackle this season or moves him back to his natural left tackle position. Omar Khan said at the NFL Combine that the plan for Jones coming out of the draft was to play him at left tackle and he will eventually move there, but the question becomes when that will be.
The Steelers haven’t invested in the offensive line so far in free agency, and the team still has two major needs at center and wide receiver which may preclude them from targeting a tackle early in the draft who could potentially play on the right side immediately. It may be a situation where the Steelers draft someone in the middle rounds and have them develop a little bit before starting them, which could leave Jones playing on the right side for the second year in a row.
But the potential is there, and with the Steelers spending a first-round pick on Jones last season, the hope is that he will become a star for the Steelers and someone who can help anchor their offensive line for years to come. There were enough flashes during his rookie season that showed he could potentially become that guy, but this offseason and his development into a better pass-blocker is going to be crucial for that to become a reality.
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