With the Steelers draft concluded and having had some time to chew on it, I wanted to hand out some superlatives for this class. Unlike most years for Pittsburgh, I really like the direction this team took and think this draft class will pay dividends early for the Steelers. While everyone won’t be instant impact players, there is a lot of top-end talent on paper from this group.
So, I have comprised five awards for the class: my favorite pick, the best value, most likely to succeed, most likely to fail, and boom or bust pick. While my awards are not final, there is a lot of on-the-field talent that will need to be displayed. That said, here are my initial superlatives for the Steelers 2023 draft class.
Steelers favorite pick: Broderick Jones
I didn’t need to overthink this one. The Steelers have mostly ignored the offensive line for so long that it turned into a major weakness for this team. While the interior investments in free agency were good, this team still lacked a capable offensive tackle. It was one of the bigger needs for this team entering this off-season.
Broderick Jones was one of the three dynamic tackle prospects in this class. He arguably has the highest ceiling of any tackle in the draft, but he also has the least amount of experience and needs the most help as a technician. That said, he should be an instant upgrade along the left side of this line.
Sure, the Steelers had to move up to get him, but they only gave up a fourth-round pick and it allowed them to land one of the premier tackles in this draft. This team has shown a desire to beef up its trenches, and the Jones pick will further that cause. Far and away, he was my favorite pick of this draft.