The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be having incredible success during the 2023 NFL Draft. They were able to maximize their draft picks by moving up in the first round by trading a fourth-rounder and then dropped back in the third round which allowed them to a fourth-round selection.
Screenshot from Steelers.com
Broderick Jones, the Steelers' first-round draft pick, meets with the press for the first time.
When looking at Pittsburgh's picks through round three, the Steelers earn a solid grade of an A. However, the same cannot be said for every team in the AFC North.
One of the Steelers' biggest rivals, the Cleveland Browns, used one of their fourth-round picks to nab, Dawand Jones, a player Pittsburgh felt lacked the drive needed to wear the black and gold.
The Story Behind The Steelers And Dawand Jones
During the pre-draft assessments, the Steelers seemed to be highly interested in Jones, at least at first. Jones, who is an offensive tackle out of Ohio State, was initially projected to go in the second round. This made sense as the team has kept no secret of wanting to build the trenches and offensive line depth was an area of need. They met with him at the Senior Bowl and had a pre-draft visit with him.
Jones appears to have all the upside a team could want on paper. He was named an All-American after the 2022 season and had First-Team recognition from PFF. He was not heavily recruited out of high school as he focused more on basketball than football. He started for two seasons with the Buckeyes.
A lot of hype surrounded Jones, primarily because of his size. He measures in at 6'8" and weighs 374 pounds. He has an incredible wingspan and is surprisingly agile. As he was talked up by the analysts, it appeared his stock was on the rise. Some mocks even had Pittsburgh selecting him at 17. As quickly as the excitement built, it dissipated as he appeared to lack effort.
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Ohio State University offensive tackle, Dawand Jones, dropped down draft boards after a lack of participation during his Pro Day.
The Steelers went to watch Jones at Ohio State's Pro Day and that was enough to end the love story. According to Pro Football Network's, Tony Pauline, who spoke on the Steelers Sanctuary Podcast, Pittsburgh was less than pleased with his effort.
"I was at the Ohio State Pro Day with Mike Tomlin and those guys. and they were very p***ed off because Dawand Jones did nothing at his Pro Day," said Pauline.
The Steelers organization and the fanbase place a high value on work effort and they tend to favor players who put their noses to the grindstone and lead by example.
"Dawand Jones is falling down draft boards. I think he'd be a good value if Dawand Jones is making football a priority," Pauline said. "Dawand Jones had a decent, not spectacular career at Ohio State. He had one phenomenal day of practice at the Senior Bowl but then he packed it in. Didn't practice the next two days. Didn't play in the game. Went to the Combine, ran the forty, did position drills."
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The Cleveland Browns selected Dawand Jones in the fourth round.
Regardless of the reason why Jones seemed to back off from participating, it hurt him greatly. The draft process is a difficult one. Just because someone is successful in college does not guarantee success in the pros. This means that the teams need to analyze all of the information they can get and this includes effort. A lot of skills can be taught, but you cannot teach someone to be hungry. That lack of effort can be what costs a player a draft spot.
Now the Browns have drafted Jones with one of their fourth-round picks, 111 overall. The Browns did not have a pick in the first or second round. They traded a substantial number of picks to obtain their quarterback Deshaun Watson. Their first pick was in the third round, 74 overall. They appeared to have abandoned their draft plans of improving their defense by drafting someone who appears to have the potential to be a huge bust.
Just Browns being the Browns.
What do you think about their selection of Jones? Did you think Jones appeared to lack effort during his Pro Day? How do you feel about players that seem to not give it 100%? Tell us your thoughts, click to comment below.
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