Consider the source biased, if you must.

But in the opinion of Broderick Jones, efforts from general manager Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers player personnel department in the 2023 draft were quite successful.

“Omar did a great job,” Jones said, laughing. “That’s all I can say.”

Jones continued to laugh. He, of course, was the most prominent selection among that Steelers draft, 14th overall. He will make his 11th start of the season at offensive tackle during Saturday’s regular-season finale at the Baltimore Ravens.

But Jones’ judgment a rookie group that also includes cornerback Joey Porter Jr., defensive tackle Keeanu Benton is shared by others who have followed the Steelers this season.

“Everybody in the rookie class is doing what’s expected of them, showing up in big ways in critical moments,” Jones said. “We have to continue to focus and finish and all the extra stuff. We’ve been doing a great job as a whole class.”

Heading into Saturday, the first four members of the 2023 Steelers draft class — Jones, No. 32 overall pick Porter, fellow second-rounder Benton and third-round tight end Darnell Washington — have combined to make 36 starts this season. That’s the second-most starts rookies have made during a season for the Steelers since Mike Tomlin was hired as coach in 2007.

Each of those four has started at least seven games. Only two other times during Tomlin’s tenure had as many as four members of a rookie class made seven or more starts each.

“When we all got drafted in our little (text) group chats, we were like, ‘Yeah we are gonna do big things together, this is a draft class where we’re going to make some waves,’” Porter said Wednesday after receiving the Joe Greene Great Performance Award recognizing this season’s Steelers rookie of the year.

The only rookie draft class before this one to combine for more starts under Tomlin is 2021 — but that comes with some caveats. Among those 62 combined starts were 15 from center Kendrick Green, who by the end of the season was benched. Seventh-rounder Tre Norwood that year also was a starter for Week 1 but played less late in the season than he did at the beginning.

These rookies — throw in fourth-rounder Nick Herbig, who as a reserve made the biggest defensive play of the game (a strip sack of Geno Smith) during Sunday’s win at the Seattle Seahawks — have generally all been trending on an upward trajectory throughout the season.

“None of those guys were opening-day starters and that type of a deal,” Tomlin said. “And so, you know, it’s late in the season for all of us, but it’s probably less mileage on those guys than some of the veteran guys. Broderick, Benton, Joey, specifically those three, we were five, six weeks into the season before they started having substantial roles and I think that has put them in position to be trending in the direction that they’re trending.”

As part of a leaguewide trend, Tomlin has seemed to evolve when it comes to playing rookies. Over the first nine years of his tenure, the Steelers got an average of 9.5 starts per season from the entirety of each year’s rookie class. Only on five occasions between 2007-2015 did any rookie make at least seven starts.

Even though nowadays rookies are far more likely to make an impact, the Steelers remain patient. Porter did not start until Week 7, Jones did not move to the top of the depth chart until Week 8 and Benton was not officially deemed a starter (aside from being an injury replacement) until December.

“We’ve just kind of been maturing a little bit, getting the speed of the game down,” Benton said. “And some of us did it quicker than others.

“It’s saving your body a little bit.”

While a tally of “starts” is an imperfect measure, the play of Porter, Jones and Benton in particular portend a bright future. Time will tell how this rookie class ranks over the long term, but during their respective first seasons, these Steelers rookies have the look of a collective group that could help form a franchise core for years to come.

“I feel like we all had the same idea: came in, worked hard and we all earned our spots,” Porter said. “It wasn’t given to us, and I feel like we have been playing pretty well. All the guys who have had opportunities to get on the field have shown what they are capable of, and we just have to keep growing form there.”