Who is at the top of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft prospect list at center?
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to acquire a new starting center in the relatively near future. All expectations are they’ll get one in the 2024 NFL Draft, but who, and when? If they don’t draft a center in the first round, they’re unlikely to have their pick of candidates. But, of course, that’s true of every other position you pass on in every round, because others get a turn.
Still, if the Steelers picked and all of the center candidates were on the board, who do they have ranked the highest? Many assume that it’s Jackson Powers-Johnson out of Oregon, and it very well may be. He is the most popular pick as the first true center off the board.
However, you also have to consider Graham Barton, who may go higher as a guard than at center. Even though he never played guard in college, mostly tackle, he projects to kick inside. And it’s easier to kick inside to guard than center, even with his limited experience playing the latter position.
The other name to consider is Zach Frazier. Even though most peg him as a second-round candidate, that doesn’t mean the Steelers don’t rank him higher. Perhaps they feel more comfortable passing on a center in the first round because of how much they like him.
Of course, they may still have to trade up in the second round to get Frazier, because he could go early. Or he may last all the way until 51. I don’t know how it’s going to wind up, though centers have a history of “falling”.
All I know is that if the Steelers don’t land one of these centers, finding a plug-and-play starter gets a lot harder. There are some third- and fourth-round guys worth having a conversation about, but this is not that conversation. I doubt that they have Sedrick Van Pran-Granger ranked higher than Jackson Powers-Johnson.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
