Former Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones was selected at No. 14 in the 2023 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday.
Jones revealed to the press on Friday his intention to honor his late UGA teammate, Devin Willock, by wearing No. 77 with the Steelers. Willock tragically passed away in a car accident in Athens, Georgia, on Jan. 15, shortly after the team’s celebration of their second consecutive national championship.
“My roommate from the University of Georgia, he wore 77 — Devin Willock, the one who passed away in a crash,” Jones said on Friday.
“They told me the number was available, and I just wanted to, you know, show my respect by taking that number and letting him live through me.”
Jones, a 2022 All-SEC left tackle is coming off a dominant season for the Bulldogs in which he did not allow a single sack.
Jones, who declared for the NFL after his redshirt sophomore season, was one of the most impressive offensive lineman at the 2023 NFL combine. He clocked a 4.97 40-yard dash at 6-foot-5, 311 pounds, the fastest of any offensive lineman.
Jones will join former teammate and 2022 draft pick George Pickens in Pittsburgh.
