Broderick Jones is happy that the pomp and circumstance is behind him.
Jones, the Steelers' mammoth first-round pick out of Georgia, strapped on a helmet and hit the South Side practice fields for the first time during the team's three-day rookie minicamp Friday.
"It's definitely real now," he said. "Here in the facility with the pads on, gear, getting to it, learning stuff, learning new things and just trying to figure it out.
"Man, it's good. I've been waiting to get here and getting ready to work."
For the offensive tackle, this week is — he and many others hope — just the very start of a career in which he will become an anchor on the left side of the Steelers' offensive line.
"All the hype is over," he said. "I'm in the building now, ready to work, ready to put the time and effort in to be the best version of me. So I'm ready to get to it."
Jones, to no surprise, did confirm that he worked Friday at left tackle. He spent a fairly extensive amount of time with offensive line coach Pat Meyer during the 75-minute session.
"Just being physical, technique, just getting that all," he said of Meyer's instructions.
Of course, this weekend is just the start. The vast majority of the attendees — which include the entire 2023 Draft class, tryout participants and a few second-year players — won't make it.
"(I'm) just being around the guys, getting to know them, getting to know everybody's name, just trying to bond with them because they may be my future teammates," Jones said. "Knowing who they are, what they like, they like, how they like to play. When push comes to shove, they're my teammates."
Jones said that the team is, at the moment, wanting him to learn generic offensive lineman traits, with the possibility that, in a pinch, he may have to be used at a different position.
That said, the goal is for him to replace Dan Moore Jr. as the team's starting left tackle.
"I have a mindset of coming in ready to work," he said. "I'm not looking for looking forward to winning the job right now or doing anything. My biggest focus right now is coming in, doing the best I can do, learning the playbook and being the best version of me."
In two weeks, Jones will be joined by many of his more permanent teammates when OTAs begin. It's at that point, even with contact not allowed, that he'll be able to at least line up across from NFL pass rushers — and good ones, at that — like TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith.
"I know those guys are going to push me to make me better," Jones said. "So at the end of the day, win, lose, or draw, however it goes, I'm always ready."
On Thursday, the Steelers found out that their Week 1 contest would come against San Francisco. With that comes a massive individual challenge for any offensive lineman, especially a rookie who could be making his first professional start.
So is Jones aware who he is potentially going to take on then? Absolutely.
"Yeah, Nick Bosa. Yeah," he said, with a bit of a confident smirk. "The 49ers. It's something to prepare for, something to look forward to, to put my best foot forward every day and work towards that point."
