Will the Pittsburgh Steelers get their “next great Steelers center” in the second round today?
The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft played out predictably enough for the center position. Not one team drafted a center in the top 25 picks, which is the norm that we see almost every year. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did select Graham Barton 26th overall, despite speculation teams might trade up into the top 20 to take him.
With only Barton off the board, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have two top-tier center options in the second round. Both Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier remain on the board. They brought each of them in for pre-draft visits and did extensive work on them.
Earlier in the offseason, the Steelers released Mason Cole, their starting center for the past two seasons. They briefly explored the veteran free agent market at the position, but evidently found it out of their price range. Yet they said they owe it to themselves to find the “next great Steelers center”.
With the 19th selection in the second round, however, the Steelers will have to wait a while. Notably, all of the major quarterbacks are already off the board, as are the top tier of tackles. We even saw some wide receivers seen as possible Day-Two players drafted yesterday.
We did not see many defensive players drafted in the first round, though. Teams who passed up defense in the first round may hope to land a premium defender in the second. Most of the top cornerbacks made it off the board, though there are still some legitimate options to go early.
Teams may well take both Frazier and Powers-Johnson off the board in the first 18 picks of the second round. It’s also very possible that at least one of them falls that far, or that the Steelers trade up to get one.
The real question is, after tacking an offensive tackle in the first round, the Steelers want to double up on the offensive line. That’s what they did in 2012 when they drafted David DeCastro and Mike Adams. They had already taken two linemen in the first two rounds during the preceding two drafts, so they’re not wary of shopping in bulk when looking to make significant changes.
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?
