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Broderick Jones Honors Fallen Georgia Teammate With Steelers Jersey Number

The number Broderick Jones chose to wear for the Pittsburgh Steelers honors his late teammate.

Stephen Thompson

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PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2023 first-round draft pick has arrived in the Steel City less than 24 hours after the team traded up to take him with the 14th overall pick. 

Now Jones has to get acclimated with his new team and new city. Part of that means choosing which jersey number he will wear this season. Jones' college number, 59, was not available, so he chose No. 77. And it's not just any number.  

Jones' selection has a special meaning behind it. He wants to honor his former Georgia teammate, Devin Willock, who died in a car accident earlier this year alongside Bulldogs recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy. 

“It’s in honor of my teammate that passed," Jones said. "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.”

Jones and Willock were roommates and Georgia, and will now stay together through his memory in No. 77. Making his first NFL number one that’s special. 

“I want to let him live through me,” Jones said. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper. He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press. During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general. 

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