The person saying this/making these things up loses the right to tell anyone else they are speculating.
We will never know for sure. I was of the same opinion as you, which was that JD got fucked over on the pick swap, which he didn't have to do as there was time before the draft to wait GB out, who really didn't have much choice, and then pick swap cost us Jones. However, as more facts emerged, it did seem like for whatever reason JD didn't value Jones as highly. Saleh said the way board fell, it didn't impact us. Jets one drive showed JD asking I think director of recruiting how they had 3 guys, and McD was 1st, then some TE second, and Jones 3d. I mean, I understand all of this is circumstantial, not definitive, but there is enough of bits and pieces here to say that most likely for whatever reason JD had Jones rated lower than McD and would have picked McD at #13 also. So, I changed my original opinion based on these pieces, but the larger point is that it does not really matter. JD had an opportunity to get Jones and didn't. Whether it is his evaluation, whether it is because he didn't wait out GB a few more days for trade, the point is, he got McD and let Jones get away. We just have to see how it plays out. If Duane Brown finally shows up and plays great and Becton locks up RT, and both stay healthy all year, while McD becomes a really good player, then JD is a genius. However, if OLine cannot protect AR or generate running game due to tackle play and costs us the season, while Jones develops into a good player, then JD might be gone after this season. A lot is riding on this.
regardless it was a mistake right? I dont know why it is so hard to believe another team leap frogged Joe Douglas in the draft (something that happens every year), but even if we are to believe he preferred McDonald, it doesn't look like a wise decision now that we are sitting here with 11 DEs and maybe, maybe 1 .... offensive tackle that we can rely on
I mean you’re in a conversation where you’re telling someone they are speculating when your entire point is based off speculation. The conversation is a waste of bandwidth.
Wasn't it though? Drafting Jones when they believe McD is the better player is drafting for need not BPA which is widely considered to be the best option when picking, especially in the early rounds. Broderick Jones is struggling and may not even start come week one. https://fansided.com/2023/08/19/steelers-rumors-broderick-jones-concerns-bills-game/ While McD has star potential and has looked great so far.
That said I don't believe we did enough this off season to sure up the tackle position on both sides but I don't think Broderick Jones over Will was the solution. Being more aggressive with FA would have been better.
It isn't hard to think someone leap frogged Joe, but I highly doubt he would have let it happen if he wanted his guy in Jones. This isn't that deep, going to just move on b/c we are running in circles. In regards to the WMD pick, I don't think it was a mistake if that is who they thought the best pick was. Lawson and Huff are both going to be gone next year. WMD and JJ step right in and we don't miss a beat.
Left tackle is a tricky position. Jones was able to dominate high school and college ball with sheer athleticism and physicality. There’s always an adjustment when moving to the next level. He has never faced this level of muscular force, speed, and discipline. Sound familiar? Who was Jones beating out if we had picked him? He'd be a backup and Douglas would be getting eviscerated for picking him.
It’s not to say Jones won’t become a good player, but he’s currently the backup to two average tackles that the Steelers have no investment in. Camp reports are that he got beaten like a drum for the first couple weeks although is starting to settle in. He probably would’ve had a better shot at playing here since the Jets are in a rush to win, but he wasn’t this all-world ready to plug and play tackle just because he was a high pick.
yeah Jones has had some ups and downs in preseason for sure but certainly wish he was here instead of the bodies that we are lining up with in practice... when they feel like practicing anyway. I thought Jones might take some time with his limited experience
The OL could turn out to be average or better. We should get much better play at LG either from Tomlinson who was terrible last year or his replacement if he can't cut it. We should have at least one good OT between Brown and Becton and if they are both healthy all year the OL will be good. AVT will be great at either guard position. Mitchell was not a liability last year why can't he be even better this year unless he has health issues still. Wayne Hunter was a very bad OT. He started the last three games in 2010 plus one playoff game that we won and then I think he started every game in 2011. We won three playoff games with him and we would have won the championship game against the Steelers if the refs had been fair. And the QB was Sanchez. Rodgers will make things better even with one bad OT. TE and RB can help with the blocking and Rodgers quick throws will make a big difference. I am out of optimism for now.
Excellent point. Hunter was terrible. Somehow the notion that you need an all pro at every OL position became the popular take. If you take a look around the league, you will see that this is not the case. But people love to bitch.
I don't know much about Broderick Jones. I don't really follow the training camps of other teams. Hopefully he's doing well in Pitt. I said this after the draft, but my guess is the Jets didn't see him being able to beat out Becton or Brown. Obviously they didn't want to use their first round pick on a backup, so they had MacDonald higher, since he'll contribute day one. Who knows if that's the right thought process. Assuming Becton and Brown are going to be healthy feels very risky. Mitchell seems to not be very good, and I have not heard one word about Warren. We'll see how it plays out. Obviously this is all pointless, as we don't legitimately know what the Jets board was, and Jones wasn't available anyway.
