The Pittsburgh Steelers have been widely expected to target an offensive lineman in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and that player could be a center or an offensive tackle. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes Duke OL Graham Barton, who played center in 2020 and would likely be a center for the Steelers, will go between Pittsburgh’s selection at No. 20 and the Dallas Cowboys at No. 24. However, Breer believes that the Steelers (and the Cowboys) would take an offensive tackle over Barton, and mentioned Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton as someone who could be that guy.
“My guess would be that he winds up going somewhere between Pittsburgh at No. 20 and Dallas at No. 24. In both cases, I think the teams would probably take a tackle if one they really liked fell to them (Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton might be that guy for either team). If Barton goes at 20, Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson could be in play for Dallas at 24),” Breer wrote ahead of the draft.
For what it’s worth, NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah mocked Guyton to the Steelers in his most recent mock draft, and Guyton is an intriguing prospect who played 1,011 snaps at right tackle over the last two seasons for Oklahoma. If the Steelers took Guyton, the team could use him at right tackle long-term while moving Broderick Jones, the team’s first-round pick in 2023, back to his natural left tackle position. Taking Guyton would mean the Steelers would pass on a center in the first round, and they might end up missing out on the first tier of centers if that’s the case.
But in a class with a lot of high-level offensive tackle talent, the Steelers could find a potential long-term solution opposite Jones and solidify their tackle room with two bookend starters. There are some center options available in the middle rounds of the draft, with Penn State’s Hunter Nourzad and Arkansas’ Beaux Limmer as potential options, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Steelers balance taking a top center versus one of the top offensive tackles in the class.
Guyton is a tier below the top group of tackles, but he’s still widely expected to go in the first round. His right tackle experience should make him a little bit more intriguing to the Steelers, and the team did host him for a pre-draft visit so there’s a history of interest. Given some of the recent smoke connecting the Steelers to Guyton, he’s certainly going to be a name to watch tonight.
