One of the most prominent names on the offensive side of the ball for the national champion Georgia teams, offensive tackle Broderick Jones will look to carry his championship pedigree into the next level as he enters the 2023 NFL draft.
Here is everything you need to know about the Bulldogs’ blindside protector:
Vitals
Height: 6-4
Weight: 310
Class: Sophomore
Strengths
A highly talented athlete with incredible potential, Broderick Jones is one of the more intriguing tackle prospects in this class. He is a back-to-back national champion and one of the key pieces in the dominant Georgia offense, especially in the dominant running game. He did not give up a single sack last season and showed a lot of growth from his 2021 season when he started in four games.
As a pass protector, Jones is raw but the talent he possesses shines through on film, his length, athleticism, and speed pop off the screen and has excellent body control to maintain all of his tools. When Jones is initially beaten his ability to recover is among the best in the class, with his physical tools making up for the lack of refinement in pass blocking. He has the ability to truly lockdown defenders once he gets his grips on them, using excellent balance, strength, and control to leave them in place and oftentimes putting them on the ground with an aggressive competitive mentality.
As a run blocker, Jones uses his athleticism to its max, often providing impressive lead blocks when asked to move out into space, and is able to keep up with the ball carriers and deliver nasty hits downfield. His core strength makes him solid with a great initial punch and drive off the snap, and a finishers mentality. He will be able to fit into any run scheme and will be elite at the next level. At times, his athleticism really shines through when he is asked to block in space.
Weaknesses
With only one full year as a starter, Jones is very much unrefined, especially as a pass protector. His physical gifts made it less of an issue in college as he could away with more mistakes and not be punished, but in the NFL he will need to clean up his game. He often sinks his head off the snap of the ball and has to reestablish his sight to the defender, which simultaneously causes him to sink and lunge at the pass rusher.
While his recovery is great, defenders at the next level will speed past him and it could be ugly early. He will need to work with a good offensive line coach to refine his pass-blocking technique and footwork before he can be trusted on an island against top pass rushers.
Projection
Broderick Jones is one of the most gifted athletes in the entire class, let alone among the offensive lineman, he has incredible potential to be an elite left tackle in both the run and passing game. His traits are ultra-desirable in the modern NFL and teams will be eager to get him in with a good offensive line coach who can work with him on his inexperience and technique issues. He may be a bit of a liability early on, but his sky-high ceiling will be well worth investing in. He should go fairly early as one of the first tackles off the board.
Projection: Top 20
