In the midst of celebrating the biggest night of his career, Steelers first-round pick Broderick Jones took a moment to share how he plans to honor late Georgia teammate Devin Willock as he enters his first NFL season.
Jones, the 14th pick in the 2023 NFL draft, announced Friday he will pay homage to Willock, who was killed in a car accident on Jan. 15, by switching from No. 59 to No. 77—Willock’s number at Georgia. Jones’s touching tribute comes as the rookie offensive lineman had been searching for a new number because Pittsburgh no longer issues a No. 59 jersey after retiring the number in honor of linebacker Jack Ham.
“It’s in honor of my teammate that passed,” Jones said, per team reporter Teresa Varley. “He wore No. 77. No. 59 is not available. No. 77 was another option. I felt like I would do that for him, his family and me.”
