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The Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed 7 new players to the organization this past weekend throughout the 3-day selection process better known as the 2023 NFL Draft. During the weekend the question which is often asked by the fans to these new players is what jersey number they will be wearing.
For the Steelers’ top pick, offensive tackle Broderick Jones, that was known as he stated he would wear No. 77 in honor of his teammate who was killed this past offseason. Not that Jones would be able to wear his college number of 59, due to that being an unofficially retired number for Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham.
Nonetheless, the Steelers announced Wednesday the jersey numbers for all of their drafted players.
DRAFT PICK DIGITS ARE IN
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 3, 2023
Shop jerseys : https://t.co/N4GiUb1wqZ pic.twitter.com/HEJvrwF3b7
For those who can’t see the above image, here are the numbers:
- Round 1: Broderick Jones, OT — No. 77
- Round 2: Joey Porter Jr., CB — No. 24
- Round 2: Keeanu Benton, DL — No. 95
- Round 3: Darnell Washington, TE — No. 80
- Round 4: Nick Herbig, LB — No. 51
- Round 7: Cory Trice Jr., CB — No. 27
- Round 7: Spencer Anderson — No. 74
With Jones making his reasoning behind his jersey number known, the Steelers’ second round pick Joey Porter Jr. also made his known. Ike Taylor, who Porter Jr. calls “Uncle Ike” took to Twitter Wednesday to say Porter Jr. will wear No. 24 in honor of Taylor.
As for the other numbers, the reasoning behind their selections hasn’t necessarily been made known, but it should be known the Steelers don’t allow some players to choose certain numbers. For instance, Darnell Washington wore No. 0 at Georgia, but will wear 80 in Pittsburgh. Nick Herbig wore 19 at Wisconsin, but has a linebacker number of 51 in the NFL.
Could these change? Broderick Jones’ number is unlikely to change as the team’s first round pick. This is based solely on jersey sales; however, the rest of the draft class could potentially change their number if they make the team and a number occupied by a veteran is vacated by them not making the team.
So, you might want to pause before paying big money for a rookie jersey...at least for the time being.
Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the 2023 NFL offseason.
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