The Pittsburgh Steelers knew the player they wanted to take in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and traded up to get him.
The Steelers gave up two picks to move up three spots in the draft to select Georgia tackle Broderick Jones. They moved right in front of the New York Jets, trading those picks to the New England Patriots, the Jets' division rival.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin joked that the Patriots traded with Pittsburgh so they could ‘”screw” the Jets out of Jones.
“I'll put it this way, there wasn't a lot of hesitation on New England's end,” Tomlin said.
There's no guarantee that the Jets would have taken Jones or were interested in him at all. They ended up selecting Will McDonald IV, a defensive end from Iowa State with the pick after Jones was taken. Teams are always looking for protection on the offensive front though, especially a Jets team that just traded for a 39-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
In recent years, the Patriots have been the enemies of several teams, the Jets and Steelers included. In fact, in the last decade, the Steelers are 1-7 against the Patriots, including the playoffs. They looked past that fact and had their eyes set on Broderick Jones and did what they had to do to make him a Steeler.
The Steelers and Patriots play each other this season in an early-December clash in Pittsburgh. There's a chance that game means a little something for the AFC playoff picture. Keep an eye on that Week 14 meeting.
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