LATROBE, Pa. -- "I think the two national championships in the last two years says it all."
Those were Mike Tomlin's words when I asked him about how the Steelers' young core from Georgia has fared in competition after Wednesday afternoon's training camp practice at Saint Vincent College.
If there is one college football program for Omar Khan to build a young offensive core from, it might as well be from the two-time defending national champion.
Kirby Smart has run his Georgia Bulldogs football program unlike any NFL operation, and that is meant to be noted in a positive light. It helps that Smart has bunches of high-level talent at his disposal after pulling in consensus top-five recruiting classes in each cycle since 2017, with the 2016 class coming in sixth nationally. As a result of the crops of five-star prospects and having the staff to back up Smart's philosophy in developing them, the Bulldogs have been one of the most successful college programs over the last decade-plus.
And, that is translating to the NFL.
When Darnell Washington was called out by Tomlin to block T.J. Watt in the Steelers' first backs on backers drill on Tuesday, he was ready for it. When George Pickens had to go over the top of Joey Porter Jr. for another highlight-worthy, one-handed grab on Tuesday, he did it. When Broderick Jones was immediately put up for competition as the Steelers' starting left tackle and was given a first-team rep on his second day of practice, he was ready for it.
All of it is a major testament to their development at Georgia.
"It made it really, really easy. Competing is nothing," Pickens said, comparing the Georgia training camps to Steelers training camps. "We were hitting every day, so it felt like we were having a game every day. Guys would be banged up, and you’ve go out there and still perform. So, yeah, competing at an all-time high."
Smart has maintained that great recruiting beats great coaching, and having this level of stability is rare to achieve in today's college football landscape. Georgia hasn't had a losing season since 2010, it has made a bowl game in every season since 1997, and Smart is 8-2 in bowl appearances over his seven years as the Bulldogs' head coach, including the National Championship victories after the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
All three of the Bulldogs-turned-Steelers were highly coveted out of high school. Pickens was a consensus five-star recruit and the No. 4-rated receiver in the class of 2019. Washington was a consensus five-star and the No. 23 overall prospect in the 2020 class. Jones -- unsurprisingly -- was also a consensus five-star and the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2020 recruiting class.
Winning attracts winning, which is why the Steelers dipped back into the pool for two more Georgia players in April, making Jones and Washington two of their first four draft picks to go alongside the 2022 second-rounder Pickens.
And it should not come as a surprise that all three of these Bulldogs are a part of the short- and long-term plans for the Steelers. Pickens is a breakout candidate in Year 2, notwithstanding the evolution of the offense as a whole and from Kenny Pickett on an individual basis, while Washington has a sky-high ceiling as a pass catcher and a run blocker and Jones figures to assume starting duties over Dan Moore Jr. sooner rather than later.
Those practices in Athens, Ga., were just the building blocks for those three.
"Georgia is a high program, so you’re going against the best of the best every day, and it’s intense every day," Washington said. "If it's the first period or the last period everything’s at full speed. ... Lots of differences. Here it’s about getting after it, getting better, but it’s also about protecting the player, as well. College or any college ball in general is about full speed all the time and just wanting to kill you in a way, but here you’ll get -- I don’t want to say saved -- but play smarter, things like that."
Washington withstood Watt's attacks and came out as the victor in the famed backs-on-backers drill Tuesday. Washington has called himself "the sixth offensive lineman" and, while he is continuing to develop a rapport with Pickett as a receiver, he was thrown right into the fire as a blocker by Tomlin to prove it. It was challenge he welcomed with open arms, and it was also a challenge that looked familiar to Pickens:
"I wasn't surprised at all. That's kind of what Darnell does," Pickens said with a grin. "You've got to think Darnell was at Georgia with the whole Philadelphia Eagles D-line."
Of course, Pickens is referring to the four former Georgia linebackers and defensive linemen who have been drafted by the Eagles in recent memory. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis and linebacker Nakobe Dean were drafted in the first and third rounds, respectively, in 2022. Then, Philadelphia selected defensive tackle Jalen Carter ninth overall and then grabbed linebacker Nolan Smith with the 30th pick in the draft in April.
Coincidentally, as Washington had to go up against those now-professional linemen when he was in college, so did Jones. That same intensity rung true for the first-round tackle.
"Of course. I can’t say any other program -- because Georgia’s not like any other program -- but when the time comes and the opportunity shows itself, we always take it," Jones said. "At the University of Georgia we always prepare for things like that, and it just sets us up for life. Once you have that mentality it’s hard to go back."
Jones shared Pickens' sentiment and said there was a heightened intensity with Georgia's practices.
"Yeah, I think Coach T’s a little more mellow about things," Jones said. "He’ll still get on you, he’ll still push you, but the intensity is just not -- it doesn’t match. Coach Smart is always a full go all the time. Coach T’s just a little laid back."
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Wednesday's seven shots went to the defense, 5-2.
Overall, it was far from the offense's best showing in this series of drills during camp. Diontae Johnson dropped a Pickett missile short of the goal line, Pickens couldn’t keep his feet inbounds on a catch on the endline, Pickett overthrew Pickens out of the back of the endzone, and Chukwuma Okorafor was flagged for a false start as the first-team offense faced the first-team defense.
Kwon Alexander did a masterful job of shooting his gap and stuffing Anthony McFarland Jr. up the middle at the 1-yard line when the second-team offense faced the second-team defense. Mitch Trubisky then found Washington fading in the back-left corner of the endzone for the offense's first score on Play 5, and Trubisky connected with Gunner Olszewski for a score on Play 6. Seven shots ended with a Trubisky incompletion intended for Calvin Austin, though Trubisky missed an open Jaylen Warren in the flat for a walk-in score.
• Kenny Robinson took snaps with the first team at safety during seven shots. Dan Moore Jr. was at left tackle.
• During the first session of 11-on-11, Duke Dawson was the first-team slot cornerback, and Mark Robinson rotated in at inside linebacker with the first team.
• Watt blew up Okorafor for a sack, and Alex Highsmith got to Pickett after a low snap during the second session of 11-on-11. Trubisky completed a 42-yard touchdown to Austin, who burned by Porter up the sideline and won the race for the deep ball.
• Alexander repped with the second team in 11-on-11 and seven shots.
• DeMarvin Leal came up gimpy after a pass-rush rep in a drill against the offensive line. He had his left ankle looked at while the rest of the team ran its final 11-on-11 session of the day, but he rejoined the sideline shortly after.
• Highsmith won three reps in a row over Moore in that same drill.
• Pickens was flagged for offensive pass interference with Patrick Peterson in coverage during the final team period. He was visibly hot after getting called for it, but got a talking-to from Allen Robinson right after. That type of leadership is exactly what you want to see from Robinson.
• Tomlin said Damontae Kazee remains out with an ankle injury. Kazee did not have a walking boot on his left foot Wednesday as he did on Sunday, but he was not in pads for Wednesday's practice. Tomlin added that Cory Trice Jr., who was placed on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday, has a "significant" knee injury, and that Keanu Neal was being evaluated for an unspecified injury.
