Duke’s Graham Barton is one of the most intriguing players in the 2024 NFL Draft due to his positional versatility along the offensive line. He’s a five-position player who could slot in at tackle, guard or center for an NFL team, and the Steelers have interest in Barton, hosting him for a pre-draft visit yesterday. The Steelers could use Barton at tackle or center, as the team could look to upgrade from Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle. They also have a huge hole at center right now, and according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers view Barton as a center.
Responding to a reader question during his weekly chat about positional versatility, Dulac threw cold water on the idea of the team drafting Cooper DeJean in the first round but also added that the Steelers view Barton as a center.
“I don’t think you should worry about DeJean in the first round. But if they draft a tackle, it’s going to be a right tackle so they can move Jones to left tackle. And Barton is being considered as a center, not a tackle or guard.”
Later in the chat, Dulac was asked if Barton projects as a top tackle, and he replied “Not for the Steelers.”
Barton only played 430 snaps at center in his collegiate career, all coming during his freshman season in 2020. At 6053 and 313 pounds, he has the size to play the position, and with 32 7/8-inch arms, he’s probably better suited to play inside at guard or center instead of tackle. With the Steelers set at guard while having a major need at center, it makes sense that’s where they’d view him long-term.
The question becomes whether the Steelers want to spend a first-round pick on a center, but if they don’t, there’s little chance that one of the top three players in the class in Barton, Zach Frazier and Jackson Powers-Johnson fall to Pittsburgh’s second-round draft pick at No. 51. The Steelers have brought all three in for pre-draft visits, and Barton might be the first one to go off the board.
There’s also the concern that he doesn’t have a lot of center experience during his college career, and that can sometimes be risky, especially when taking a center in the first round. But if the Steelers feel confident enough that Barton could be their long-term answer at center, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him be the pick at No. 20 overall.
Other positions the Steelers could look to target are offensive tackle, wide receiver or cornerback, but receiver feels like a position the team could address on Day 2, and in a deep cornerback class the Steelers could also wait on the position. But the team’s recent interest in Barton is noteworthy, and if he’s still available for Pittsburgh’s selection in just over a week, he very well could end up as the team’s next starting center.
