Pros and Cons of Steelers taking Georgia football's Broderick Jones in 2023 NFL Draft
Georgia football’s Broderick Jones was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-5, 311-pound Jones was the No. 14 overall pick. The Steelers traded up from the No. 17 pick with the Patriots to get the offensive tackle.
He spent just three seasons in Athens. He was inserted into the game during the national championship win over Alabama in the 2021 season and started every game at left tackle in the 2022 unbeaten national title season.
The former five-star recruit from Lithonia, Ga., outside Atlanta is the latest in a line of left tackles going from Georgia to the NFL after Andrew Thomas and Jamaree Salyer.
Here’s what Jones can bring to the NFL.
Georgia football OL Broderick Jones: The positives
Jones ranked eighth among Power Five conference tackles in pass protection, not allowing a sack with 7 hurries and 2 hits allowed, according to Pro Football Focus.
The high school basketball player raised his stock with a 4.97 40 at the NFL combine, fastest among offensive linemen.
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“He has such quick feet, he’s an easy mover,” said ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay. “He mirrors and slides in pass protection really well.”
Jones was raw as a player out of high school but matured and was coachable
The concerns
Jones started only 19 games in college — including three at right tackle in 2021 and one at left — and played just two games as a freshman after a dirt bike accident.
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Jones' hand placement is too wide and he needs to increase his lower body strength to anchor pass protection and be more dominant in the run game, according to McShay. Jones has said finishing blocks in the run game was an area that improved by the end of his time at Georgia.
Final thoughts
Georgia has had three first round draft pick offensive tackles under Kirby Smart. Two were hits — Isaiah Wynn and Andrew Thomas — the other, Isaiah Wilson, was a miss. Jones seems like another hit even though he has less experience starting than two-year starter Wilson, who seemed to be a reach.
“I would say he has the biggest upside from a physical-tool standpoint of the tackles in this class,” McShay said.
Jones is well-schooled for the next level by going up against plenty of high-level NFL talent in practice the last few years including Azeez Ojulari and Nolan Smith.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Steelers pick Georgia football's Broderick Jones in 2023 NFL Draft
