The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. It’s safe to say that three-time All-Pro defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is pleased about it.
Minutes after the Steelers officially drafted Jones at No. 14 overall, Heyward expressed his excitement about the selection on Twitter.
“Broderick Jones! Let’s get it!” Heyward tweeted.
Broderick Jones! Let’s get it!
With the selection of Jones, the Steelers drafted an offensive tackle for the first time since picking Jamain Stephens in 1996.
Broderick Jones is the first tackle taken by the Steelers in the first round since 1996 — Jamain Stephens.
Furthermore, Jones is the highest drafted offensive tackle for the Steelers since the team selected Leon Searcy at No. 11 in the 1992 draft.
Steelers Trade Up to Draft OT Broderick Jones
As the draft process went, the mock draft experts appeared to lean toward the Steelers targeting an offensive tackle. Rumors swirled that general manager Omar Khan could even be aggressive in finding a tackle in the draft.
Days before the draft, three different Steelers beat writers expressed that a trade up to No. 14 was possible after the New York Jets switched picks with the Green Bay Packers through the Aaron Rodgers deal. As it turned out, that’s exactly what came to fruition.
The Steelers moved up three spots from No. 17 to 14 by conducting a trade with the New England Patriots.
The deal placed the Steelers one spot ahead of the Jets. ESPN draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay speculated during the network’s live broadcast that Khan made the trade to avoid losing Jones to the Jets.
Going into the draft, NFL draft experts considered Jones one of the three best offensive tackles in the class. The other two — Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. and Tennessee’s Darnell Wright — went in the top 10.
Khan’s aggressiveness ensured the Steelers weren’t going to lose out on one of the top tackles in the class.
How Jones Fits With the Steelers
The Steelers upgraded the inside of their offensive line at guard this offseason.
Khan signed both Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig in free agency. Seumalo is expected to start at left guard while Herbig will provide depth along the inside.
But other than signing backup Le’Raven Clark, the Steelers did not address offensive tackle until drafting Jones. Now with the Georgia tackle, though, it’s possible Pittsburgh will have two new starters along the left side of its offensive line.
Dan Moore started every game but one at left tackle during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. According to the player grades at Pro Football Focus, Moore’s play improved during the Steelers’ winning streak in the second half of last season.
Right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor has also been serviceable for Pittsburgh. He has started 48 of the team’s past 50 regular season games.
But drafting Jones, giving up a fourth-round pick in a trade to do it, the Steelers have indicated that they wanted to upgrade offensive tackle just as they did at guard.
Jones will very likely have an opportunity to win the starting left tackle job in training camp. If he wins the job early enough, perhaps Moore could flip to right tackle and push Okorafor for that role.
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Cameron Heyward Reacts Quickly to Steelers’ 1st-Round Pick