If NFL Draft insider Tony Pauline is to be believed, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be taking Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton with their first round selection. Per Pauline via Sportskeeda, he’s hearing the NFL thinks Barton will be Pittsburgh’s pick.
“Speculation from people in the league familiar with the organization is that Graham Barton of Duke will likely be the pick. The reasoning is simple: Barton was an accomplished offensive tackle at Duke and projects to center in the NFL. The Steelers need help at both positions and Barton’s ability to line up at either makes him very attractive.”
The Steelers have shown some interest in Barton, sending OC Arthur Smith to the Blue Devils’ Pro Day. But there’s been no reporting that Barton has come in for a pre-draft visit nor did Mike Tomlin or Omar Khan attend his Pro Day. If Barton is the pick, odds are one of those boxes will be checked.
A top college left tackle, Barton projects to kick inside at the NFL level due to a lack of ideal length. But he’s athletic, aggressive, and has played some at center, logging multiple starts there as a freshman in 2020 before kicking out to left tackle for the rest of his college career. He’s also lauded for his football IQ, a key component to playing center.
Pittsburgh has an obvious need in the middle after releasing veteran Mason Cole to begin the offseason. They did not address the position in free agency and their top internal candidate is Nate Herbig, a guard for most of his career. Barton is considered one of the top three centers in the class, joining Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier. Pittsburgh has shown degrees of interest in all three, bringing Powers-Johnson and Frazier in for visits, though Frazier was considered local.
The last center selected in the first round was Florida’s Maurkice Pouncey in 2010. Pittsburgh holds the 20th pick in the draft. The 2024 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday, April 25.
Check out our full scouting report on Barton below.
