You'll be hard-pressed to find many fans who will complain about the heist the Pittsburgh Steelers just pulled off -- that is unless you are a fan of an opposing team. Omar Khan has already been given the nickname 'The Khan Artist' for stealing talented players all over the draft.
Obviously, it's going to take a few years before we truly know how good this class will prove to be. On paper, however, this is the strongest haul the Steelers have pulled off since I first started binging film and evaluating players during the pre-draft process back in 2013.
In addition to finding players at important positions, Pittsburgh somehow routinely grabbed the best-remaining players atop the consensus draft board. Here are my initial grades for each selection of the Steelers 2023 draft class:
Round 1 (pick 14): OT Broderick Jones
Since I first dove into the all-22 tape of Broderick Jones back in January, I loved this kid. While his mechanics and technique still need a lot of work, it was clear to see that the potential was through the roof.
The athletic offensive tackle out of Georgia was a former five-star recruit who sat and learned behind players like Andrew Thomas and Jamaree Salyer. In his first full season as a starter in 2022, Jones got progressively better with each passing game.
Jones has remarkably nimble feet and incredible knee bend for an offensive tackle. After watching his tape, it was not surprising to see him test as a 96th-percentile athlete, according to his Relative Athletic Score. Though he may struggle at times early, he has the makings of a 10-year starting tackle for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers landed my 12th overall player at pick 14 after a three-spot trade-up with the New England Patriots. I only thing preventing this from being an 'A+' is that Pittsburgh wasn't able to stand pat and take him at pick 17. Some would also argue that CB Christian Gonzalez was the best player on the board. Regardless, they drafted a high-upside player at a premium position in Broderick Jones.