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It's easy to get excited about a first and a second round pick. Perhaps the praise being heaped on running back Le'Veon Bell is getting a bit closer to "overboard" (comments from Bob Labriola Thursday included "Bell cannot be covered" by the linebackers he faced in a passing drill). Jones picked up his share of praise after tipping a Ben Roethlisberger screen pass and eventually coming down with the interception (Mark Kaboly wrote Jones has been studying Houston's J.J. Watt, who's made the tipped pass en vogue after his Defensive Player of the Year performance last year).
The fact Jones got on the field with the first team while LaMarr Woodley rested an alleged strained calf (which both seems like code for a veteran's day off, as well as the ailment that cost Troy Polamalu half the 2012 season) is encouraging just from a repetition standpoint. It seems more of a foregone conclusion that Bell would see more playing time this year than Jones anyway, but the building of Jones as a situation-based player while the base defense works to improve its pass rush on its own is encouraging.
It also may not mean good things for veterans like Chris Carter, who is pretty well stuck on the bubble right now.
It appeared to be the younger players' day to shine, as wide receiver Markus Wheaton took snaps from the slot, replacing Jerricho Cotchery for a large part of the day.
Safeties Robert Golden and DaMon Cromartie-Smith also saw time, per Labriola.
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