While the Steelers are more than likely to select an offensive lineman in the first round of this upcoming draft, the real mystery lies in which position they’ll target. With no designated starter at center, as well as some confusion about whether or not Broderick Jones will play left tackle this year and what that means for Dan Moore Jr., it’s a true coin flip on what the Steelers will do. Traditionally, centers hold less value in the draft than tackles, but the Steelers seem to always trust their board, regardless of what conventional wisdom says.
One player who has continued to be connected to the Steelers is Duke’s Graham Barton, an offensive tackle who projects more as a center or guard in the NFL. Most center prospects taken in the first round tend to be viewed as surefire hits in order to justify their draft slot, and according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Gerry Dulac in a recent appearance on the Steve Jones Show, that may be how the Steelers see Barton.
“It has been said to me by someone in the organization who would know that Graham Barton is a generational-type player,” Dulac told Jones. “If that’s what you think, then you take a generational-type player. Those types of players are Pro Bowl players. Those guys are guys you build your line around for 10 years like Maurkice Pouncey. You took Maurkice Pouncey at 18. There’s nothing wrong with taking that type of player at 20 if you believe in him. And if he is what they think he is, then to me, why would you pass him up? You just wouldn’t because that is your number one need.”
That certainly is high praise for Barton, who hasn’t played center since 2020. While many fans may see another Kendrick Green situation with Barton, there are reasons to believe that he could successfully make the transition to center in the NFL. Not only does his frame project best there, but he did actually play center at Duke as a freshman. Granted it was a while ago, but there’s precedent there. Just as well, if he’s their highest-ranked center and they have to choose between him and maybe their fifth- or sixth-ranked tackle, taking Barton may be the better overall choice.
To put it into perspective, if the Steelers take Barton and he becomes, at worst, a starter at center, that may be worth more than taking a tackle who could bust as easily as he could boom. Also, while the offensive tackle class thins out after the names generally associated with Round 1, there are quality players at that position the team could target in the second or third round. When it comes to centers in this draft, the team probably won’t be able to get a Day 1 starter after the first round. Clearly, if Dulac is to be believed, some members of the Steelers organization love Barton, and unless he is drafted before the Steelers’ selection at 20, he will more than likely be the pick if this information is true.
