Georgia tackle, Clemson defensive lineman latest top prospects to meet with Steelers
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With the top-30 visits winding down this week for NFL teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers saved some of the biggest players for the final stages of the process.
The Steelers on Monday had visits with Georgia tackle Broderick Jones and Clemson defensive linemen Bryan Bresee.
Not only are Jones and Bresee consensus first-round picks, they also are among the largest in the draft. Jones measures 6-foot-5, 311 pounds, and Bresee is 6-51/2 and 298.
The Steelers have conducted 27 of their allotted visits, a group that does not include local players Joey Porter Jr. of Penn State and West Virginia wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton.
Jones is one of the top tackle prospects in his class, but it is uncertain whether he will remain on the board when the Steelers use their No. 17 pick. Many NFL draft experts have Jones going in the top 15.
A redshirt sophomore, Jones had the third-best production and athleticism score among tackles during testing at the NFL Combine. After starting the final four games of the 2021 season, Jones started all 15 games last season at left tackle as the Bulldogs repeated as national champions.
The Steelers, though, haven’t selected a tackle in the first round since 1996.
Like Jones, Bresee left school after his redshirt sophomore season. Rated the country’s top recruit, he was named the ACC defensive rookie of the year in 2020 when he started 10 of 12 games. Bresee, though, had his development stalled in 2021 when he was limited to four games because of a torn ACL.
Last season, Bresee had 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss in 10 games that included seven starts. He missed two games — one because of the death of his younger sister from brain cancer and the other from a kidney infection.
Most draft analysts have Bresee pegged to be drafted in the second half of the opening round.
The Steelers are looking to beef up their defensive line, a position they have not addressed in the first round since taking Cameron Heyward with their top pick in 2011.