The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2023 NFL Draft class is shaping up to be one of the league's best. Joey Porter Jr. and Keeanu Benton are full-time starters in year two while Nick Herbig has showed incredible potential. Cory Trice Jr. has already contributed in his first eligible season after he lost his rookie campaign due to an ACL tear. The elephant in the room, however, is offensive tackle Broderick Jones. The University of Georgia product was traded up for by General Manager Omar Khan, and hasn't gotten a chance to prove himself on the left side due to the coaching staff's commitment to Dan Moore Jr.
There is no reason to give up on the young tackle just yet, but a concerning performance in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos has fans worried that the Steelers might ruin the 2023 first-rounder. Moore has been playing well to start off 2024 and Troy Fautanu's first career start in the Mile High City went swimmingly while Jones was benched in the middle of his lone series after three penalties.
Time will tell if Jones is later on looked at as a bust, but for now, he won't be getting any starting reps for the foreseeable future. This would have been a critical developmental year for Jones on the left side, and now it looks like Moore will hold down the fort on the left with Fautanu on the right. It could be looked at currently as appropriate for fans to look back at the Steelers' trade with the New England Patriots to move up and draft Jones.
Pittsburgh needed help on the offensive line and at cornerback entering the 2023 NFL Draft. The decision to move up could have been to select a cornerback, but Jones was the choice instead. Looking back, moving up a few spots to draft Christian Gonzalez out of the University of Oregon would have looked a lot better to fans in the present as the 2024 season has begun.
The Patriots' head coach at the time, Bill Belichick, recently discussed the deal and said that he was pretty confident that Pittsburgh was going to take a tackle. That doesn't mean Khan couldn't have changed his mind last second and selected Gonzalez instead. Gonzalez did a pre-draft Top 30 visit with Pittsburgh, so there was certainly interest there.
The Steelers had plans to select two cornerbacks during the draft anyway, with Porter and Trice being selected in the second and seventh rounds, respectively. Gonzalez is looking like he could turn into an All-Pro type of player.
For those that think it would be silly for a team to draft two cornerbacks with its first two picks, it's exactly what the Philadelphia Eagles did in 2024, selecting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The Steelers would have the best young cornerback duo throughout the entire league currently and potentially have the position set up for a decade.
Again, it's not time to give up on Jones, but looking back and seeing how well Porter has played, along with Gonzalez's dominance, certainly makes one think. It's fair for fans to wonder "what if" when it comes to the cornerback position.
As Jones sits on the bench and Gonzalez dominates, trading up for Gonzalez sure looks like it would have worked out. No one can say for sure that it wouldn't have triggered Porter going earlier, but the hypothetical of the Steelers landing both young defenders is a tough pill to swallow now that it never became a reality. This isn't to take anything away from Trice, but the team would have two verified studs at the position.
Steelers Relying On Defense Regardless In 2024
Despite Gonzalez never making his way to the Steel City, Pittsburgh's defense is set up nicely. Porter is the top cornerback, and Trice's big-time interception in Denver has fans excited for his potential. There is firepower everywhere, but with Jones on the bench, it surely is fun to imagine what it would look like if Gonzalez was opposite of Porter.
