Steelers Offensive Line Captures 2 Huge Dawgs In NFL Draft And Georgia Insider Says "It's Going To Be Like The Great Wall"

The Pittsburgh Steelers fundamentally changed the left side of their offensive line on the first two days of the NFL Draft. The Steelers selected Broderick Jones and Darnell Washington from the back-to-back National Champions, the Georgia Bulldogs. The pair of rookies will line up with Isaac Seaumalo who was acquired via free agency from the NFC Champion, the Philadelphia Eagles. Pittsburgh has now formed a battering ram in front of Kenny Pickett and Najee Harris.

Randy McMichael who played tight end in the NFL for 11 years with the Miami Dolphins, St Louis Rams and the San Diego Chargers joined the PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on Monday to discuss the Steelers draft. McMichael is a Georgia alumnus and currently serves as an analyst on 92.9 The Game in Atlanta. Andrew Fillipponi asked McMichael to describe what the Steelers are getting at tight end with Washington.

“I call him a monster,” McMichael bubbled with enthusiasm. “I remember the first time I went to a game and was on the sideline and I saw him. I was like good Lord, look at this dude here, he blocks out half the sun. He is a phenomenal athlete and he moves people without them wanting to be moved. Big 0 can patrol the edges, that is what he does best.”

McMichael made the point that Harris in particular is going to benefit from Washington’s presence in the run game. Chris Mueller then asked the former Bulldogs tight end how exactly the big tight end would impact the Steelers’ offense when he is on the field and what skillset, in particular, would help them the most when running the ball.

“He can block one on one with a defensive end,” McMichael continued. “Usually, you would have a tackle coming to help, he can block one-on-one, and that can leave your guard and tackle to double team more to the back. You get more versatility cause he can hold his own against anybody. Wait until you see him in person, then you will understand. Those hands that he has, he sucks the ball out of the air. He has phenomenal hands.”

Fillipponi and Mueller asked the Bulldogs alumnus if he was so special, and what was the reason he fell so far in the draft. The duo asked McMichael if there were possible concerns about injury and maturity with Washington heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.

“I didn’t hear anything about it,” Mcmichael replied. “It was because of injury concerns with a foot, but I did not know that was the reason that he dropped. I have never heard anything bad about him as a teammate. Yeah, he has had immature moments no doubt about it, not that he is going to break the law or something, he is just a big kid. I think he just turned 21. I think it was more the foot than anything else.”

Steelers Omar Khan Trades Back And Still Gets TE Darnell Washington In 3rd Round 

Washington was projected as a potential late first-round choice in the NFL Draft, but when he fell to Day 2 most prognosticators expected him to fly off the board when the tight end run began in the second round of the draft. He did not and after Omar Khan squeezed a fourth-round pick from the Carolina Panthers with a trade down in the third round, he was still able to snag the mammoth tight end to pair with his Bulldogs running mate on the offensive line.

McMichael was so high on the Washington selection that Fillipponi interjected and asked him if he thought he might have a better career than the Steelers' first-round choice, Jones. There was no hesitation or extended thought on McMichael’s part.

“Broderick, this kid, nobody gets around him,” McMichael answered emphatically. “In pass protection he is so athletic to be as big as he is, and he is still growing as a player. You watch him on a screen route, and he gets out and demolishes DB’s it is just a beautiful thing. You know who wanted him bad, the Jets. You think he’s big? Him and Darnell next to each other, it’s going to be like the Great Wall of China. Ain’t nobody happier than Najee Harris they are going to move people on the left side in Pittsburgh.”

Harris has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as a running back in Pittsburgh but the yards have been hard to come by behind the Steelers offensive line. He finished last season strong after Jaylen Warren emerged as a legitimate option to keep Harris fresh and regain his strength from a preseason foot injury. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star has often had to shed tacklers in the backfield during his first two seasons and the Bulldogs tandem paired with Seaumalo should allow him to start making decisions beyond the line of scrimmage instead of behind it.

The rave reviews for the pair of Georgia Bulldogs should have Steelers fans excited for the fall when it looks like they are going back to the future with a physical running game. A bully ball running attack should also allow second-year quarterback Pickett to take advantage of another star Georgia player on offense, wide receiver George Pickens. The Steelers are going to force teams to either commit safeties to the box and play Pickens one on one or watch helplessly as they matriculate the ball down the field with Harris and Warren.

The Steelers' offense for the first time since 2017 is going to present huge matchup problems for opposing defenses and it is courtesy of an outstanding draft by Khan, Andy Weidl and Mike Tomlin. If the Steelers convert long drives into touchdowns instead of field goals in 2023 in Matt Canada’s offense, the two rookie Bulldogs just might play for a championship for the third consecutive season.

What do you think Steeler Nation? Are you excited about the new look for the offensive line in 2023? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.  

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