The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to likely address the center and offensive tackle position at some point in the 2024 NFL Draft, and in Tony Pauline’s two-round mock draft for Sportskeeda, he has the team addressing center in the first round with Duke OL Graham Barton. He then has them going back to the trenches in the second round by taking Washington OT Roger Rosengarten at No. 51 overall.
Barton has become a popular name linked to the Steelers, and despite not having played center since 2020, he said he feels comfortable doing it in the NFL since it’s like riding a bike. Pittsburgh brought Barton in for a pre-draft visit and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith also attended his Pro Day at Duke, so the tea leaves are there regarding the Steelers’ interest. Pauline said yesterday on 93.7 The Fan that Barton will likely be the pick, and despite offensive tackles like JC Latham and Amarius Mims and CB Cooper DeJean still on the board at No. 20 in this mock, the Steelers address the center position, their biggest need, with Barton.
Barton is considered in the top tier of potential centers along with Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, so he would certainly be a good selection in the first round.
In the second, the Steelers select Rosengarten, a name that hasn’t been linked to them much during this process. He’s firmly in the second tier of tackles and more likely to go on Day 2 than in the first round. In this scenario, he falls to the Steelers at No. 51. Rosengarten played right tackle at Washington across from Troy Fautanu and has a good relationship with former Steelers tight end and current scout Mark Bruener whose son plays at Washington, so there’s some connection to the Steelers.
In Jonas Wedlich’s scouting report on Rosengarten, he gave him a late Day 3 grade due to his lack of play strength, so taking him in the second round might be a little bit of a reach. However, he’s gotten some buzz in recent weeks as a prospect on the rise, and at this point, it’s expected he’ll come off the board on Day 2. Wedlich noted that Rosengarten has the tools to succeed and could blossom in the right scheme, and if the Steelers are taking him in the second, he likely wouldn’t be a Day 1 starter. He could spend a year as the swing tackle before ideally taking over for Dan Moore Jr. in 2025 after he develops and spends a year in an NFL weight room and with an NFL coaching staff.
Offensive line coach Pat Meyer was also at Washington’s Pro Day, and at the Combine, Rosengarten measured in at 6053 and 308 pounds, so there’s room to add to his frame. He ran a 4.92 40-yard dash and had a vertical leap of 33 1/2″, while posting a 9′ and 5/8″ broad jump. It would be an interesting selection as a potential developmental offensive tackle, but it’s notable to see the Steelers pass on wide receiver in the second round given their need at the position.
