Will the Pittsburgh Steelers, or anybody else, select a pure center in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft?
It seems with each passing year, the idea of “positional value” builds a stronger foothold in our consciousness. We understand intuitively that some positions are more important than others—quarterback over tight end, for example. But increasingly this positional hierarchy shapes the way we think about investment, including in the draft.
Even more so than in the past, we’re not seeing many teams draft centers in the first round. Players like Maurkice Pouncey and Tyler Linderbaum are more exceptions than not, but is there an exception in 2024?
Graham Barton has the best case to make as a first-round pick, but that’s because he can play other positions. He played most of his college career at tackle, but most project him at guard. Two other names come up with first-round consideration, as well: Jackson Powers-Johnson and Zach Frazier.
The latter has always been on the periphery, however, while Powers-Johnson’s stock seems to be dropping. Many now question if he’ll go in the top 25 picks, or perhaps even the top 32. If he slips out of the first round, though, he’s likely to go very early in the second.
The Steelers are easily one of the teams most likely to draft one of these three players as a center in the first round. They hold the 20th-overall pick, however, which many regard as too high an investment. They could theoretically trade back, but they haven’t done so in the first round in decades.
Still, many continue to connect the dots between Powers-Johnson and the Steelers. Everybody knows they have a gaping hole at center, and drafting him quite possibly closes it for the next decade. They’re still searching for their successor to Pouncey, and you know how they feel about center play.
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?
