While The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly doesn’t think the Steelers want to address the center position in the first round, he thinks the team could move up in the second round to take a center. During an appearance on The PM Team on 93.7 The Fan, Kaboly said the Steelers could use one of their extra third-round picks to maneuver up the draft board.
“I don’t think so at all,” Kaboly said about it not being in the realm of possibility to trade up. “You got that extra third-round pick too, you can use it, you can move anything you want to be able to move up five, seven spots, especially in that second round,” Kaboly said.
In particular, he talked about the rumors that Jackson Powers-Johnson could fall and that he could be a trade-up candidate if he falls into the second round.
“When you talk about Jackson Powers-Johnson slipping, guess who else slipped a couple of years ago down in the middle of the second round? Creed Humphrey. So I guess what I’m saying is, even if he does slip, it doesn’t mean he’s not a star in the making, could not jump in and be a guy right now. Maybe teams don’t value that center position in the first round and really would like to see him move to the second.”
Kaboly said that the emphasis on finding tackles, coupled with how tackle-rich this class is, could mean teams prioritize the tackle position over center and you could see someone like Powers-Johnson potentially fall. Obviously, Humphrey has become one of the best centers in the league for the Kansas City Chiefs and the anchor for an offensive line that has helped turn Kansas City into a dynasty. While this class is rich at tackle, it also is at center, with a number of potential future starting centers who will be available in the middle rounds.
However, the Steelers need someone who can start at center right now, and two players who could do that off the bat are Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, who the team hosted for a pre-draft visit today. If the Steelers aren’t comfortable with one of them being there at No. 51 if they don’t address the position in the first round, using one of their extra picks to trade up and secure themselves someone who could be a Day One starter and future anchor at center could be a move that the team explores.
It’ll be interesting to see if someone like Powers-Johnson does fall out of the first round, and if he does how aggressive the Steelers will be in pursuing a possible trade-up. But it’s definitely within the realm of possibility as it would be a major disappointment if Pittsburgh didn’t come out of the draft with a capable starting center.
