Mike Tomlin: Patriots didn’t hesitate to let Steelers jump Jets in draft
The New England Patriots opened themselves up to a lot of jokes with a draft-day trade. In the opening round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Bill Belichick and the Patriots traded the 14th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for the 17th overall selection along with a fourth-round pick. This move proved to […]
The New England Patriots opened themselves up to a lot of jokes with a draft-day trade.
In the opening round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Bill Belichick and the Patriots traded the 14th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for the 17th overall selection along with a fourth-round pick.
This move proved to be successful for the Patriots, not only being able to select the player they had wanted all along, but also screwing over an AFC East rival.
"We just had that as a position of priority and we just had (Broderick Jones) as an individual of priority, so we knew with the acquistion of Aaron Rodgers and so forth, they might be fishing in those waters," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said on the Rich Eisen Show. "And so we did what we thought we needed to do to get the player and the position that we coveted."
Jones, a 6-foot-4, 310 pound offensive tackle out of Georgia, was rumored to be of interest to the Jets, helping protect Rodgers. However, with the trade, the Steelers were able to jump one spot in front of the Jets and New York instead selected Will McDonald IV, a defensive end out of Iowa State.
"I'm not going to delve into the relationship between New England and the Jets," Tomlin said. "Let's just say I'm glad we found a partner."
"I'll put it this way: There wasn't a lot of hesitation on New England's end," Tomlin added as Eisen and his crew laughed along.
So all in all it appeared to be a successful draft day for the Patriots, both screwing over the Jets and getting the guy they wanted.
Featured image via David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports
