Speaker 1: The Pittsford Steelers select Roderick Jones, offensive tackle Georgia.
Speaker 2: He is big, he is physical, and he's very light
Speaker 2: on the street.
Speaker 3: I love his athleticism, love the upside with him. He's
Speaker 3: got a competitor's mentality. He's wide right for this line
Speaker 3: of work. He's got a desire to be great.
Speaker 2: Roderick, Welcome to Pittsburgh. I know you were here just
Speaker 2: a few weeks ago. What's it like being back in
Speaker 2: this building knowing you're a member of this organization now?
Speaker 3: Man, it's amazing. Just being able to play for the
Speaker 3: Golden Black again is an amazing feeling. You know, that
Speaker 3: was my high school color. I feel like I'm at
Speaker 3: home here. I love the coaching staff, love the whole organization,
Speaker 3: loved the vibe, loved the energy. So you know, I'm
Speaker 3: just ready to get everything rolling.
Speaker 2: What was that dinner like with them before your pro day?
Speaker 3: It was good. It was good. You know, a lot
Speaker 3: of labs, a lot of giggles on, a lot of
Speaker 3: personalitily shown, so I feel like it was a good dinner.
Speaker 3: I felt like everybody was in cahoots with each other,
Speaker 3: so I feel like we had a good time.
Speaker 2: Knowing these trophies, you're going to see them every day
Speaker 2: when you're going to meetings to work out for practice.
Speaker 2: What does that mean to you?
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's time to get another one, you know, That's
Speaker 3: all it mean to me. It's a good feeling just
Speaker 3: being able to walk past these and look at them
Speaker 3: and you know, admire room. But you know, it's even
Speaker 3: better to have one of your own.
Speaker 2: Sof six of those four is the number of times
Speaker 2: the Steelers have traded up. What does that mean to
Speaker 2: you that they didn't want to stay put and they
Speaker 2: did what they had to do to get up and
Speaker 2: to make sure that you were their guy, just.
Speaker 3: To show a good faith to me, I believe. So
Speaker 3: I feel like I have no choice but to come
Speaker 3: be successful, give one hundred to tempercent every day that
Speaker 3: I'm here, and just you know, improve to the best
Speaker 3: of my abilities to help the team.
Speaker 2: In terms of knowing guys, George Pickens, have you talked
Speaker 2: to him yet?
Speaker 3: Yeah? I talked to him last night.
Speaker 2: Was that special to know that you guys get a chance.
Speaker 3: To play together. Yeah, George, Man, that's my guy. Me
Speaker 3: and him have a good relationship, so you know, it'd
Speaker 3: be good to play with him in the team once again.
Speaker 2: You know, So what has it been like for you?
Speaker 2: It's kind of crazy when you're getting ready for the draft,
Speaker 2: the combat and it's just such a hustle. But now
Speaker 2: you know where you're going and then you have maybe
Speaker 2: like a week break and then you're back into it.
Speaker 3: I had enough time to break. I'm ready to get
Speaker 3: to it. You're ready, Yeah, I'm ready.
Speaker 2: All right, let's head down to the locker room.
Speaker 3: Let's go.
Speaker 2: All right, you're gonna have one of these lockers very soon.
Speaker 2: Kenny Pickett is welcoming and everybody, whether it's free agents
Speaker 2: or draft guys. Have you talked to him yet as well?
Speaker 3: Yeah? I talked to him. He shot me at tax
Speaker 3: last night. You know, just congratulate me, telling me, you
Speaker 3: know that he's ready to work, you know, and get
Speaker 3: ready for the big season that's coming up and you know,
Speaker 3: big things.
Speaker 2: I like that you describe yourself as physical, dominant. You
Speaker 2: just have that toughness that people embrace here in Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2: What else do stealers fans not know about you and
Speaker 2: what you can bring?
Speaker 3: Just a finesse to my game. Everything that I do
Speaker 3: has you know, many different I got many different attributes,
Speaker 3: so you know, you just got to watch and see.
Speaker 3: But I play the game so physical, so dominant. Some
Speaker 3: people say I got sweet feet, so you know that's
Speaker 3: something new. But I get that from my athleticism, from
Speaker 3: basketball and stuff, so you know, I think I can
Speaker 3: relate to this sweet feet there.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I wanted to ask you about basketball. How much
Speaker 2: does that translate and help in the position that you
Speaker 2: play in football?
Speaker 3: A lot? Because playing old line is really all about
Speaker 3: footwork and technique, so it's a really big factor.
Speaker 1: All right, cool, let's head down to the practice fields.
Speaker 1: Go on, all right, let's get out here.
Speaker 2: Yeah, talk to me about about what practice is like
Speaker 2: in Georgia. That's like basically ones on ones NFL players
Speaker 2: going against NFL players day in and day out all
Speaker 2: the time.
Speaker 3: Man, you know, you have no choice but to get
Speaker 3: better at the University of Georgia, and practice does that because,
Speaker 3: like you said, it's one on one all the time,
Speaker 3: good on good. We have so many different types of players,
Speaker 3: so many different styles of play, and everybody's physical. You know,
Speaker 3: that's the standard that Georgia physical and fast. So you know,
Speaker 3: Georgia molded me into who I am today at the
Speaker 3: end of the day, and I believe it helped me
Speaker 3: grow into my playing style and as a man as well.
Speaker 2: Played on the left side, practice at the right. Is
Speaker 2: that what you were saying.
Speaker 3: Oh? Yeah, I practiced at the right mostly, but I
Speaker 3: did play a couple of games that right tackle.
Speaker 2: Okay, so do you have a preference.
Speaker 3: No, I'm a football player. Wherever the team need me
Speaker 3: off the field.
Speaker 2: I have to ask about the pet snakes. That might
Speaker 2: be the one fun fact that we have to cover here.
Speaker 2: How did this come about?
Speaker 3: Just hanging around my friend back in high school he
Speaker 3: had one, got used to holding his and you know,
Speaker 3: just playing with his. So then I got one on
Speaker 3: my own, and then another one came along that was
Speaker 3: twelve feet bigger than the other one. Okay, but you know,
Speaker 3: I think snakes hold a bad reputation, but they're not
Speaker 3: bad animals at all. I think it's just a perception
Speaker 3: that people got on.
Speaker 2: So you still have one? Was it with you in college?
Speaker 3: They stayed at my house back home, just because I
Speaker 3: really never had any time. My family had got so
Speaker 3: used to taking care of it.
Speaker 2: I just became part of the family.
Speaker 1: Yeah, all right, Well, thanks for your time, Welcome to
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh h