The Pittsburgh Steelers have a number of holes they need to fill ahead of the start of the 2024 season, and with free agency now underway with the start of the legal tampering period, those needs become a lot clearer. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. went on ESPN’s Fantasy Focus Live and talked about some of the biggest questions around the draft, and with the Steelers reported agreement with QB Russell Wilson on a one-year contract, Kiper spent some time talking about the Steelers and what they could do at No. 20. In particular, Kiper thinks Duke OL Graham Barton is a fit.
“Graham Barton is a guy in that particular spot, would be a guy that could anchor that line. Played some center early on at Duke, I loved him, he’s got that ability, he could have been a guy, he reminds you kind of a Wisconsin Badger offensive lineman at Duke. Smart, versatile, comes in ready to go from a fundamental, technique standpoint.”
Kiper said cornerback is an option for the Steelers and also listed Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier as other center options.
“I think a Nate Wiggins at Clemson, a Cooper DeJean at Iowa, somebody like that. Ennis Rakestraw Jr., if Terrion Arnold gets down that far. Cornerback’s gotta be in the mix for the Pittsburgh Steelers, cornerback’s gotta be in the mix for the Pittsburgh Steelers,” he said. “Certainly a guy like Graham Barton, or Jackson Powers-Johnson, a[n] Oregon kid, or maybe a Zach Frazier at West Virginia. But I think Graham Barton is gonna go somewhere in that 20-38 range, in that area, and cornerback’s a key need area as well for the Pittsburgh Steelers as I said.”
It’s only been one day, and the Steelers will likely address both cornerback and center in some form or fashion, but so far the team hasn’t reached agreements with anybody at either position early in the legal tampering period. There’s also little doubt that both center and cornerback are Pittsburgh’s biggest needs. The Steelers released center Mason Cole, leaving them with Nate Herbig as their top center option right now. Meanwhile, the release of CB Patrick Peterson left the Steelers with a cornerback room where Darius Rush got the second-most snaps last season.
Barton would be a good fit for the Steelers and his versatility is intriguing as the Steelers could decide to put him at tackle or at center. It’s more likely Pittsburgh would use him as a center, even though he hasn’t played the position since his freshman season. Barton is still confident about his ability to play center, and the Steelers need an anchor in the middle of their line.
At cornerback, Wiggins ran a 4.29 at the NFL Scouting Combine but is a little light, weighing in at just 173 pounds. If the Steelers don’t address cornerback in the first round, the good news is it’s a deep class and they could find someone like Notre Dame’s Cam Hart or Oregon’s Khyree Jackson in the middle rounds, and both players have the size and length that Pittsburgh covets. But if the Steelers don’t make an investment in a starting corner in free agency, it’ll become a higher priority, and the team may need to address it in the first round.
There’s still plenty of time left in free agency, and we’ll see how Pittsburgh’s signings could affect their draft plans. It’s going to be a wild ride the next few weeks.
