Broderick Jones had it in his head and his heart from the eighth grade that professional football was going to be his pathway.
Just before 10 p.m. Thursday night, Art Rooney II, Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers' brass helped Jones complete his journey by trading up three slots and selecting him with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"We're excited to have him join the group," the Steelers' President Rooney said Friday afternoon at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "Broderick is somebody who thinked big when he came to visit here on the (top) 30 visit. When he was in my office, he told me that I don't have a big enough television. When we were meeting today, he reminded me again that I needed to get a bigger television. He's a bigger guy who thinks big, and that's the way we like it."
The day after a whirlwind of life changes affecting Jones, he was on the South Side, clad in a blue blazer and a button-down shirt unbuttoned at the top, making his first statements as a professional football player.
At his new home.
"Just because of the energy and the vibe that I get from everybody within the organization," Jones said . "It feels like I'm at home, feels like I'm back at Georgia, feels like I'm back at Lithonia High School (in Georgia). I feel like I can thrive in a system like that where I feel comfortable."
The Steelers have had a knack for using first-round choices on winners from the college level in recent memory. Kenny Pickett led Pitt to an ACC Championship before becoming the Steelers' first-round choice one year ago to the date Friday, and Najee Harris won a national championship with Alabama prior to being drafted in the first round in 2021.
Jones not only was a winner at a winning school -- which he went on to correctly say was "on the rise" as he committed there in 2020 -- his standout Georgia career had to be forged the tough way.
For the "iron sharpens iron" crowd out there, Jones said he often had to go up against the first-team defense at Georgia practices, which means he had to essentially block five different first-round picks in drills held between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. That includes Travon Walker (the 2022 No. 1 overall pick), Jordan Davis (2022 No. 13 pick), Devonte Wyatt (2022 No. 28 pick), Jalen Carter (2023 No. 9 pick) and Nolan Smith (2023 No. 30 pick).
"Coming in as a freshman at the University of Georgia, I wouldn't say I played like I play now, with the physicality, with the toughness," Jones said. "... Just playing with an edge, really. At the end of the day that's what it is. To be the best, you've got to beat the best. Nobody plays physical as us, nobody was running the ball like us, nobody was taking shots down the field like us. You've just got to be able to play dominant, you've got to be able to play physical, you've got to play tough, you've got to 'thug' it out at the end of the day. That's the only way you're going to win. That's really what I learned from the University of Georgia."
Jones was a star at every level after he started to laser-focus on football. He was a consensus five-star recruit who chose to stay home at Georgia, sat a year behind eventual Chargers sixth-round pick Jamaree Salyer at the left tackle position, and blossomed into one of the best offensive lineman in college football and the blind-side protector for a back-to-back, national championship-winning program.
"He was a big help when I first got there," Jones said of Salyer. "He took me in all the way to the time he left. I still talk to him to this day. He congratulated me last night, I talked to him. Just being able to sit back behind him and being able to soak up all the knowledge was a big blessing for me because he taught me a lot. I can say that he helped me in many different ways."
Jones will carry a piece of Georgia with him in Pittsburgh, as he will wear jersey No. 77 in memory of former Georgia teammate and roommate Devin Willock.
Willock was killed in a car crash Jan. 15 in Athens, Ga. -- the incident which the Eagles' first round pick Carter was allegedly involved in.
"I just wanted to show my respects by taking that number and letting him live through me," Jones said.
On Thursday, Tomlin hinted at discovering Jones last season while scouting in Athens, Ga., last year -- likely while meeting with George Pickens. Tomlin said Jones' name came up "universally" when he asked Georgia players for a name he would be back to see one year from then.
Twelve months later, in the now, the timing could not have lined up better for the Steelers and Jones.
"It was more so throughout the course of this season," Jones said of his timing to declare to become a pro. "Last year I really was't thinking about that. I had just started playing, for real, so that wasn't really going through my head at the time. I was just trying to better myself as a person and continue to level up my game. It really was throughout the course of this season when I started to think about the decision to declare. We made it to this point."
From "this point," the expectation is that Jones will usurp Dan Moore as the Steelers' starting left tackle come September. He is part of an overhaul to the offensive line which included the acquisitions of guards Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig and tackle Le'Raven Clark in free agency. As of Friday evening, Jones said he has heard from a few of his new teammates, including from Pickett, Harris and Cam Heyward.
"It's just a blessing to be here in Pittsburgh with the Steelers," Jones said. "It's something I've always dreamed about since the process started. They've been on my tail. This feels like home, and I'm glad to be home."
Oh, and he will be bringing a pair of pet snakes up to his new home with him:
"Nah, Coach told me to leave the snakes at home." 🤣@millionairemov3 pic.twitter.com/UeqlCtmN58
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 28, 2023