The Pittsburgh Steelers are not guaranteed one of the top center prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. Indeed, if they bypass the position in the first round, they could miss out on the top three names. Graham Barton, Zach Frazier, and Jackson Powers-Johnson may all find new homes before the 51st-overall selection.
Despite the views of some fans, there are worse possible outcomes. It really all depends upon how the rest of the story plays out. There is more than way to acquire a center, for one thing, and many centers drafted after the first round are starters. Omar Khan and the Steelers feel good about the depth of this particular center class, as well.
“There are a number of players at the position that are gonna be starters in the NFL this year and years to come”, Khan said yesterday, via the Steelers’ website. “It’s no different than the other positions. There’s good players at all these positions this year”.
While most view Barton, Frazier, and Powers-Johnson as a tier above the rest of the class, there are other options. Sedrick Van Pran-Granger is the most popular name of the second tier, a likely third-round option. There is also Hunter Nourzad, Beaux Limmer, and Tanor Bortolini, other early Day-3 options.
Conventional wisdom claims that the Steelers “don’t have a center” right now, though the Steelers beg to differ. We have no reason to take everything they say at face value, of course, and I don’t expect Nate Herbig on the field at center for the first snap of the season.
But there is a very good chance the best player available at 20 for the Steelers isn’t a center. You could trade back, but then you risk losing your center, anyway. A more realistic move is trading up in the second round if necessary.
I couldn’t tell you the last time three players who went on to start at center were drafted in the first round. I don’t think 2024 is going to be the year that happens. Will any of Barton, Frazier, or Powers-Johnson fall within reach of a trade-up for the Steelers? I don’t know that, but it’s well within the realm of possibility. Interior offensive linemen often slide in the draft because tackle is the premium position. Only the most elite interior prospects go high in the first round, typically, transcending positional value.
Say the Steelers draft Amarius Mims in the first round and Van Pran-Granger in the third. You have a starting line that includes three Bulldogs, with Broderick Jones moving to left tackle, plus Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels at guard. Or you could have, say, Barton at center and Blake Fisher at right tackle. Which do you think is better? I’m sure that’s a subject for some heated debate, so have at it if that’s your thing.
