The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t planning on trading up from No. 51 tonight, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, who tweeted the news moments ago.
But Dulac still left the door open for the Steelers to make a move if the right situation arises, hinting they could look at West Virginia center Zach Frazier.
Pittsburgh bypassed all the centers in this year’s class Thursday night, choosing Washington OT Troy Fautanu instead. Two of the top pivots remain on the board in Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier. Dulac hints the team would go after Frazier instead, an old-school center with plenty of experience whose prolific wrestling background has proven to be an asset on the football field. Frazier certainly has the look and demeanor of a Steeler, someone we compared to longtime starter Ben Jones, whom OC Arthur Smith coached up in Tennessee.
If the Steelers stand pat at No. 51, it’s unclear if Frazier could fall to them. The good news is they’re ahead of center-needy teams like the Dallas Cowboys, who didn’t take one last night either, while a team like the Los Angeles Chargers already grabbed an offensive lineman, selecting OT Joe Alt at No. 5, and may snag a wide receiver instead at No. 37. The Green Bay Packers at No. 41 could be a spot for a team to grab a center like Frazier.
Should the Steelers miss out on one of the draft’s top centers, they could target someone like Penn State’s Hunter Nourzad or Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran-Granger later in the draft.
Earlier, insider Tony Pauline wrote that the Steelers could target a wide receiver at No. 51, potentially targeting Michigan WR Roman Wilson. Pittsburgh needs a wide receiver opposite George Pickens. But it also needs a center. We’ll see which comes first when the draft kicks off at 7 PM/EST tonight.
