It is never a great thing to miss out on a top pick. While finding value in every round of the draft is key, your top picks make or break you as an organization. The Steelers began a new era when Omar Khan took over, and his initial top pick was Broderick Jones. The goal was clear: Jones was going to be the left tackle of the future.
Tackle had been an oft-ignored before Khan took over, and the goal was for Jones to eventually become a good blindside protector. They traded up for him, and while it was known that he was a raw player, his natural athletic traits made him an elite prospect. That said, he was raw, and time would be needed to develop him into a capable starter.
Since taking him, the Steelers have done just about everything wrong with Jones, and it looks like they may be paying the price now. It wasn’t the end of the world for the team to sit him early in the season. Again, he was a raw prospect, so giving him some time to get acclimated to the pro game made sense. That said, after he filled in for Dan Moore early last year, it seemed like a mistake to send him back to the bench.
It got even more questionable when they opted to move him to right tackle in place of Chukwuma Okorafor after his disparaging comments during the loss to the Jaguars. Jones was a left tackle and was drafted to play left tackle, so forcing him in on the right side wasn’t ideal.
The Steelers went into this offseason with an opportunity to remedy this. They drafted Troy Fautanu in the first round and almost immediately said he would play on the right side. Instead of giving Jones the bulk of reps at left tackle though, Pittsburgh has continued to rotate him and play him mostly on the right side.
Jones looks like a mess for the Steelers
His first outing was mediocre against the Texans, but the wheels really came off against the Bills. While his run blocking has continued to look good, he gave up some ugly sacks and, for the most part, looked like a disaster in pass protection. At this point, you have to wonder if Moore should start in week one.
While some fans have been quick to point out that he is still on the right side of the line, moving him to the left side wouldn’t be a fix-all. That said, a raw prospect like Jones needs to be given the time to develop into a good player. Moving him around slows that process, and it looks like Jones isn’t ready to make that jump right now.
While tackles can take a few years to find their footing, the early results for Jones sophomore season look bad. If the Steelers want to try and salvage things, they need to get him set up on the left side and stop moving him around. That said, things look bleak for him right now, and he has a lot of things to prove this season.