nfl mock draft broderick jones pittsburgh steelers

With the first wave of free agent signings taken care, Daniel Jeremiah produced an updated mock draft to better reflect what some teams’ needs.

Jeremiah has three Bulldogs coming off the board in the first round. Jalen Carter is first up, as Jeremiah sees him landing with the Seattle Seahawks at pick No. 5.

Carter has not had the best pre-draft process, as he was arrested for racing and reckless driving charges. He also showed up at Georgia’s Pro Day nine pounds heavier than he did at the NFL combine and struggled to get through position drills.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart provided a defense of Carter when speaking at Georgia’s Pro Day.

“There’s a lot of questions generally, but with the situation, probably more questions and more direct,” Smart said. “You just try to be honest and talk about the experiences we had with Jalen here. Jalen did not have to come back and play after his first injury, nor after his second injury. Both times he wanted to overcome that injury. He begged us to put him in in games he was hurt.

“The competitive character he’s shown I think has been really good. I also think his teammates really respect Jalen. Jalen earned the respect of his teammates. They love being around him. That’s a lot of things you can say about him.”

Nolan Smith is the next Bulldog to be taken in Jeremiah’s mock draft, as he is projected to land with the New York Jets at pick No. 13. The Jets recently signed former Bulldog Mecole Hardman to a one-year deal.

With the No. 17 pick in the draft, Broderick Jones is pegged to land with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jeremiah calls Jones a “dream scenario” given Pittsburgh’s need for a left tackle.

The Steelers sent both head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan to Georgia’s Pro Day. Jones took a number of meetings with teams who were interested in what he can bring to the table.

His meeting with Steelers in particular stood out.

“All the coaches I met with are amazing, but they just stood out a lot,” Jones said of his meeting with Pittsburgh. “It felt like they were more interested in things that were really like, dealing with me instead of more football like my outside life and things like that. I just feel like I made a connection with them a lot.”

Pittsburgh took George Pickens in the second round of last year’s draft. As a rookie, Pickens finished with 801 yards on 52 receptions.

Tight end Darnell Washington and cornerback Kelee Ringo are also possible first-round picks. The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft is set for April 27. The Bulldogs had five players taken in the first round of last year’s draft.

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