Steelers reportedly narrow down draft targets to address glaring need

Pittsburgh Steelers shall rejoice! Yinz are probably going to get a new center in the 2024 NFL Draft! Yes, it certainly looks to be the case, especially after what Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had to say in a glorified Q&A for the masses the other day. He said the Steelers are looking at one of three guys at center in the early parts of the draft: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Zach Frazier or Graham Barton.

Powers-Johnson is a likely first-round pick, likely coming off the board around where the Steelers are picking at No. 20. Usually, we don't see interior offensive linemen go any higher than that in the first round, but the former Oregon star could be an exception. Frazier starred at nearby West Virginia, so he would be a popular pick for regional reasons. However, he is probably a day-two pick over a first now.

And then, there is Barton. While he spent the bulk of his time playing tackle for the Duke Blue Devils, he did spend his first season with the team playing center. Pittsburgh took a gamble on Kendrick Green in thinking he could pick up the position in a baptism by fire of sorts. It worked out disastrously. With two new quarterbacks in town in Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, the Steelers must get it right.

Let's discuss what is the best option for the Steelers to make to navigate their major center woes.

Pittsburgh Steelers have their minds made up over NFL Draft targets

If I were calling the shots in the Steelers' war room, I would ask myself what is a greater priority in the first round: Center or cornerback? If I think it is the former, then I would have no problem with taking Powers-Johnson inside the top 20 as my first pick of the draft. If I think it is the latter though, I would go with someone like Cooper DeJean out of Iowa first and then try to get Frazier out of West Virginia.

The combination of defensive back in the first round and Frazier in the second round works for me. What I have a hard time getting my head around is taking Barton to be my starting center right away in 2024. Whoever the Steelers draft at center needs to be able to start right away and make an immediate impact. They are still in the midst of their competitive life cycle, so you have to go for it.

In another draft, Barton would make sense because of his inherent versatility, but this isn't why you are drafting a center inside the top 100 picks. The Steelers are looking to do this to address a glaring need, not maybe satisfying it a few years down the line. They may have a different regime in place a few years down the line. What good would that do? A crashing sense of urgency suggests otherwise.

I think the Steelers' pick needs to be between either Powers-Johnson or Frazier rather than Barton.