Ever since Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan and the new regime kicked in, the plan has been clear: build the trenches. After seeing the offensive running game suffer for a few seasons, the new strategy is something that is refreshing to Steelers fans. Even the defensive line has gotten pushed around much more over the past few years. That's when the model of Khan and Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl began.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan stands on the field in Pittsburgh, PA.
Of course, Weidl came over from the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that adapted a similar model over the years. All of this built up to the 2023 NFL Draft, the first one with Khan and Weidl heading the franchise. The draft was a perfect encapsulation of the progress they've made in the 11 or so months since taking over. They continued their model by trading up to select Broderick Jones with the 14th overall pick.
"We want to be a big, physical team. We're the Pittsburgh Steelers. I think the way the board set up and the way the draft fell, benefitted us," Weidl said in his press conference on Friday.
Weidl referenced that he got to see Jones in person twice this past season, against South Carolina and then LSU in the SEC Championship Game. He was thoroughly impressed by the progress that the left tackle had made throughout the 2022 season. If you remember, 2022 was the only full season in college in which Jones started at Georgia. That leaves him as a still raw, unfinished product, but it was enough to sell Weidl and the rest of the scouts.
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Former Georgia and now Steelers offensive lineman Broderick Jones moves around on the field during a college game.
Darnell Washington and Keeanu Benton were two more players that the team selected that fit the big, physical model. Weidl's reference to the way the draft fell makes most sense to Washington, whom somehow fell to the third round. The team considered him with the 80th overall pick before eventually trading back and recouping another pick. Thankfully, he fell to them again at No. 93, and he was too good to pass up.
Weidl warns in his press conference that talk is talk at this point. While the draft initially looks to be special, the players still have to perform.
What are your expectations for the team's record in 2023? Where do you expect the offensive line to rank in the NFL now? Is Benton the missing piece along an aging defensive line? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!
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