For the first time since 1996, the Pittsburgh Steelers used an NFL Draft first-round pick to select an offensive tackle.
The Steelers moved up three places to No. 14 and chose Georgia’s Broderick Jones. It’s the first tackle the Steelers have picked in the opening round since Jermaine Stevens in 1996.
With valuable cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Joey Porter Jr. still on the board, the Steelers traded for a tackle to protect the blind side of second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett. I did.
The New York Jets, who retained the No. 15 pick following a trade for Aaron Rodgers, were reportedly interested in Jones. However, the Steelers beat them.
The Steelers gave New England its first No. 17 pick and No. 120 overall pick in the fourth round, earning a 6-foot-5, 311-pound redshirt sophomore.
As a rookie, Jones will be competing at left tackle against two-year starter Dan Moore Jr.
In Georgia, Jones started 19 games and played only one full season. He appeared in his two games as a freshman reserve and started his final four games for the Bulldogs in 2021 at left tackle.
He has emerged as an elite contender in 2022, starting all 15 games at left tackle.
Jones’ NFL.com draft profile compares him to New York Giants tackle Andrew Thomas. Andrew Thomas was the 4th overall pick in the 2020 draft and has started in 44 games of his career.
He made an official Top 30 Draft visit to the Steelers on April 15th.
Most draft analysts expected the Steelers to deal with an offensive tackle, defensive end or cornerback in the first pick. Sometimes it was a question of which player, from which position.
The starting cornerback was picked when the Seattle Seahawks acquired Devon Witherspoon of Illinois after the quarterback won three of the first four picks. The Arizona Cardinals traded to the Detroit Lions for Ohio tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
The first defensive end was Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson of the Las Vegas Raiders in seventh. The run of potential Steelers targets was interrupted when Atlanta took Texas running back Bijan Robinson. Philadelphia moved up the position in a trade with Chicago and acquired the most controversial prospect, Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
The second tackle from the board was Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, who went to the Bears at number 10. Next was Northwestern guard/tackler Peter Skoronski, who went to Tennessee.
That left Jones at the top with remaining tackle potential. Cornerbacks also included Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez and Penn State’s Porter.
Iowa edge rusher Lucas Van Ness went to Green Bay in 13th place. That’s when the Steelers pulled the trigger and jumped in front of the New York Jets to get Jones.
The Steelers can only hope this first-round tackle works better than it did in 1996 when they took Stevens with the No. 29 pick.
Joe Rutter is a staff writer for Tribune-Review. You can reach Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or on his Twitter. .