The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2013 NFL Draft with a rainbow of needs but a few colors in the spectrum shown more brightly than others.
One of those needs was at outside linebacker, and Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert addressed that need in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft by picking Georgia outside linebacker Jarvis Jones.
Jones entered the 2013 NFL Draft as a junior, beginning his college career at USC and then transferring to Georgia after sitting out 2010. Jones started for two years for the Bulldogs wracking up 13.5 sacks during his sophomore season and adding another 14.5 in his final year.
The Steelers clearly saw a lot they liked in Jones, having brought him to the South Side for one of their pre-draft visits. Jones took the step of mocking himself before the draft, and when the Steelers turn came to pick they immediately sent their card to the commissioner.
Given Kevin Colbert’s evaluation of Jones, it is not hard to see why they waited, as Colbert explained:
He definitely is one of the guys I talked about the other day as being a special player in this draft. He’s a solid kid, a great player. He was dominant at a major college. He plays the run, chases the ball and most important he gets after the passer.
The knock on Jones was that he was slow, posting a slow time in the combine, but that fact pleased the Steelers, as it allowed Jones to fall to 17.
Wither Jason Worilds?
Jones has big shoes to fill, with the working assumption being that the Steelers drafted him to replace to James Harrison, a recent cap casualty and current Cincinnati Bengal.
The story holds a slight twist however, as in the second round of the 2010 Draft the Steelers already picked Harrison’s heir apparent in the form of Jason Worilds.
Most fans are already speculating that the pick of Jones means the Steelers have no confidence in Worilds.
- But the Steelers might just have other plans up there sleeve.
Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider mentioned that someone inside the Steelers organization said that Jarvis reminded them of Chad Brown. The interesting part of that comparison is that Chad Brown’s started at inside linebacker before moving outside in the wake of Greg Lloyd’s injury on opening day in 1996.
- Another prominent blogger has suggested in a private conversation that the Steelers could use him at inside linebacker.
That’s all speculation, but Jason Worlids both gives the Steelers a year of security to make that determination as well as gets a fire lit under him.
Regardless of whether he plays inside linebacker or outside linebacker, the Steelers need anyone who can play linebacker.
Welcome to Steelers Nation Jarvis Jones.
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