Talk to enough fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL Draft and you’ll likely get comments ranging from “We need a center” to “We need a tackle.” Of course there’s always the “We need a quarterback” crowd too but I don’t think that’s happening this year for myriad reasons. The issue at hand however is whether the Steelers, with little more than a week to go before Round one, will go for a Center or an Offensive Tackle. I can only speak for myself here but I get the feeling they are leaning in one particular direction and for a few reasons.
The Case for Offensive Tackle
While there is a very nice group of Centers in this Draft, I do not feel there are any that are truly ‘first round, elite’ players at the position. In terms of Tackles, there are six, maybe seven that are first round “talents.” I say “talents” because there is no question that a few of these guys are being drafted on potential as much as they are their actual talent at this point in their careers.
I myself believe in the philosophy that you have to be strong up the middle before you address the edges. This is admittedly, an old school way of thinking. In baseball, you need a great catcher, great pitcher, great middle infielders and a great center fielder. In basketball you need a great big man and a great point guard and in hockey you need a great goaltender, defenseman and center. Football isn’t really that different on either side of the ball when you think about it but times change. The Offensive Tackle position is now as prized as any other and just look at the salaries.
This particular draft class has both quality Tackles and Centers but the high end of Tackles is much better. It is very possible that you could see all of these guys taken in the first round.
- Joe Alt (Notre Dame)
- Olu Fashanu (Penn St)
- Troy Fautanu (Washington)
- JC Latham (Alabama)
- Taliese Fuaga (Oregon St)
- Amarius Mims (Georgia)
- Graham Barton (Duke)
Barton has been mocked many times by experts to the Steelers as a Center which is a place he’s played only a handful of times and not since he was a Freshman at Duke. We’ve been down this road before with Kendrick Green and I’m in no hurry to do it again. A couple of these guys – Barton included – could also end up as guards too.
But when you look at the Centers, are there legitimately any truly first round guys?
- Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon)
- Zach Frazier (West Virginia)
These are the only two I can see being considered for the first round but only Powers-Johnson is likely to go in that round. Frazier is a tremendous talent and is a local product having played at West Virginia but there are some things that keep him from going in the first. Watch his tape against Texas and you’ll see what I mean.
The Case for a Later Round Center
While the Tackle position is top heavy, there is some solid talent among Centers in the middle rounds. Guys like Sedrick Van Pran of Georgia, Tanor Bertolini of Wisconsin, Beaux Limmer of Arkansas and Hunter Nourzad of Penn State would bring pretty good value. Would they be ‘plug and play’ starters? Maybe, but that will largely depend on how much input Arthur Smith has in his offense in terms of personnel.
We know that Smith is a ‘run-first’ Offensive Coordinator but will he want a Center who has some weaknesses in pass protection? That’s a tough call considering that both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are known to take a lot of sacks.
Of the guys listed above, Van Pran is the best of the bunch in my opinion but where he goes is the question. Some believe he could go as high as the second round while most believe him to be a third round pick overall. If he’s still there at 51, the Steelers will have to weigh whether or not he’ll still be there in the third.
The Other Center Option
With most of the top Centers already signed in free agency, there is one viable option left. Former Dallas and Miami Offensive Lineman Connor Williams is still out there. He is recovering from ACL surgery/rehab which has driven demand for him down but is also keeping cost down a bit too. Williams is by no means an All-Pro but he’s a better than average Center who might be just as good if not better than any current rookie that would come aboard. If the Draft doesn’t break right for the Steelers, don’t dismiss this or even a trade for a Center as Camp gets underway in July.
Conclusion
I really feel that the Steelers will take a Tackle at 20. I feel it’s very possible, especially with Omar Khan running things now, that a trade up or down is very likely. The middle round Tackles don’t do as much for me as the middle round centers do and I tend to think that’s how this will go down.
