Broderick Jones should be accustomed to performing well in Indianapolis. He played a pivotal role for the Bulldogs in their 33-18 win over Alabama to capture the program’s first of back-to-back national championships.
After starting every game at left tackle for the Bulldogs in 2022, when they once again won the national championship, Jones will now get to show teams what he can bring to the table at the 2023 NFL Combine.
With a strong performance in front of the league’s top decision-makers, Jones could possibly vault himself high into the first round. He’s competing with Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski and Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. to be the first tackle off the board.
“I think his best football is still ahead of him. He is incredibly strong,” Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network said. “He is incredibly athletic. What he can do in the second level stuff and the run game as well as in the screen game is outstanding.”
Jones should be one of the top testers this week in Indianapolis. He only has 19 career starts in his time at Georgia, which is why some see him as an unfinished product.
Consider that Andrew Thomas had 41 collegiate starts when the New York Giants took him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Georgia has had a strong recent run of left tackles finding success at the NFL level. The New England Patriots took Isaiah Wynn in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, while Thomas was the first tackle off the board in his draft. He was named an All-Pro this season, blossoming into one of the league’s top tackles.
While Jamaree Salyer fell to the sixth round of last year’s draft, he quickly proved that was a mistake as he played a pivotal role for the Los Angeles Chargers this past season. He emerged as the team’s left tackle and looks to be a key piece of their offense moving forward.
Jones, who like Salyer and Thomas was an All-SEC left tackle, will look to bring the same level of stability to his future team.
“He sets a little bit of a unique set where he sets a little bit flat so there are times where guys can get upfield on him, but then he shows you the ability to recover and hang in there,” Jeremiah said. “So, you know, maybe a little top-heavy at times. He gets a little overaggressive. He is a pretty physical player, but I think there’s a lot to really like about him. I think he could play either side.”
In his most recent mock draft, Jeremiah had Jones landing with the New York Jets at pick No. 13. The Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are also teams in need of an offensive tackle like Jones. The Bears could also conceivably trade back and select Jones if a team moves up to land a quarterback. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Jones going a bit later, as he mocked Jones to the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 31 overall pick.
Related: Mel Kiper Jr. places 3 Bulldogs in first round of his latest 2023 NFL Mock Draft
Jones is not the only Georgia offensive tackle looking to impress this week, as he will be joined in Indianapolis by Warren McClendon. He may not have the same upside as Jones from an athletic standpoint, but he did start 37 games in his college career at right tackle.
Jones and McClendon will work out for teams on Sunday, the final day of workouts this week. They are two of 12 former Georgia players participating in the NFL combine.
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