With less than a week before the draft kicks off on Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m the Steelers are still lacking a proven starter at the center position unless the answer lies hidden beneath a backroom tarp in the form of guard James Daniels sliding over to a position he hasn’t played in years, backup journeyman Nate Her-big making a substantial career lap, or the completion of a covert mission to turn 2023 7th-round pick Spencer Anderson into a pro-caliber snapper.
It’s worth noting that Hall of Famers Mike Webster and Dawson both started their NFL careers at guard before sliding over. Jeff Hartings spent five seasons at guard for the Detroit Lions before becoming an All-Pro center for the Steelers. The possibility of Daniels moving over isn’t far-fetched, but moving him from guard isn’t the plan according to Omar Khan.
Another option would be signing free agent Connor Williams (another guard who moved over to play center at a high level), but he suffered a torn ACL in December and may not be ready to start the season. It’s almost a sure thing that the Steelers will be drafting a center in the next seven days.
Why did I say “almost” a sure thing they would be drafting a center? Because there are decent reasons to support drafting more than one. It’s often said that if you have two potential starting quarterbacks then you don’t have any, meaning that if one hasn’t proven to be clearly superior at this most-unique position in sports then it’s unlikely he would be able to handle the job well.
Center is a bit different as it pertains to this year’s draft class in particular. It is loaded with guys who have played multiple positions along the offensive line and drafting more than one of them could bring out a competition where the runner-up holds value as the next solid young starter at right guard, left guard, or even right tackle. Another reason to look at drafting multiple centers is that James Daniels and Nate Her-big are both free agents after 2024, and fellow guard Isaac Seumalo after 2025. Planning for the future should always be a consideration.
I would also endorse a draft of multiple centers because, based on the overall draft ranking according to NFL Mock Draft Database, I have questions about all of the top guys.
Concerns about all of the Center prospects
Graham Barton (No.26) spent the last two seasons playing left tackle after six games at center as a freshman. The move to tackle was based on team needs and his abilities, but that still leaves a long gap and a lack of ideal experience at center.
Jackson Powers-Johnson (No. 29) had only four starts, none at center, before 2023. In 2023, he won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center. That’s quite an honor, but the schedule Oregon played leads me to wonder if he is really that good. He may have measurables and technique that show better than the others, but you have to look all the way down to prospect No. 385 to find an interior defensive lineman in this year’s draft who Powers-Johnson faced. Perhaps his schedule was littered with defensive line studs who are too young to be draft-eligible, but the Pac 12 conference isn’t exactly known for defense or defensive big uglies. Powers-Johnson had to withdraw from the Senior Bowl after just two practices due to a hamstring issue, preventing a full look at how he stacks up against the best in the nation.
Zach Frazier (No. 45) had nine starts at guard for West Virginia before 37 at center. Frazier suffered a broken leg and has been limited in how well he could show physically at the combine and his Pro Day.
Sedrick Van Pran (No. 103) has 44 starts at center over the last three seasons, part of a national championship team twice. There’s no question about the caliber of the defensive linemen he has faced. I feel he is a victim of recency bias. He was considered a top center prospect last year before deciding to return to Georgia. His final collegiate season didn’t build on the foundation set during the previous two campaigns, it merely maintained its already high quality. His draft profile notes short arms, but he’s been mauling with the best college players for years and has done so at a high level. The Steelers definitely like blockers from Georgia with the drafting of Broderick Jones and Darnell Washington last year plus the pre-draft attention paid Mims this year.
Beau Limmer (No.126) is another guy who made the move from guard to center at Arkansas for just one season.
Mason McCormick (No. 137) is getting some buzz as a center after playing exclusively at guard for South Dakota State.
Tanner Bortolini (No. 139) has versatility you can appreciate. As his college career progressed for Wisconsin, he moved through center, right tackle, and guard before spending his senior year back at center.
Hunter Nourzad (No. 175) has that versatility too. At Cornell he had 20 starts at right tackle, followed by a transfer to Penn State where he saw eight at guard and finishing with 13 at center.
Also worth mentioning is that according to NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah says that at least one team views Washington tackle Troy (No. 19) as the top prospect at center.
There have been enough first-round pick trades in recent years that I am confident these opportunities will exist. It may require accepting less than the draft pick trade charts show as fair compensation, much like New England did last year when they slid back three spots from No. 14 to No. 17 and received the Steelers’ fourth-round pick when the charts showed a third-rounder would have been closer to fair compensation. As an example, a move back from No. 20 with the Chiefs to No. 32 should garner the Chiefs’ 2nd-round pick. A lower-valued compensation package would be No. 32 and the Chiefs’ third, fifth, and 2025 third.
With a trade such as that it’s not unreasonable to envision the Steelers using No. 32 to draft Barton if he falls six spots from the NFL Mock Draft Database ranking, or “over-drafting” Frazier if Barton and JPJ are gone. They could then double-dip by snagging Limmer, Bortolini, McCormick, or Nourzad in the fourth or fifth round to give themselves two chances at a rookie center taking charge and a solid future guard option as well while leaving plenty of high draft picks to address other needs.
The Steelers currently have four picks in the top three rounds. If a small trade-back scenario materializes to give them an extra pick before the fifth round, it could be well-utilized to draft two center prospects instead of one, without hurting the ability to address the other needs of the team. With the impending potential departures of three veteran guards, this can have the added benefit of tackling a future need before it becomes urgent. Honestly, I would like to see two centers drafted AND a signing of free agent Connor Williams, preventing a black hole at guard while addressing the current one at center.
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