Joe Rutter's Steelers mock draft: It's time to fill that hole in middle of offensive line

It makes perfect sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers to take a center early in the NFL Draft.

Simply put, they do not have a viable candidate on the roster despite what general manager Omar Khan and coach Mike Tomlin continue to say about their internal options.

Khan keeps dropping the name of Nate Herbig, who has shown the capability of snapping a football. Just not since 2021 when he last did it in an NFL game. And Herbig has just 49 career snaps at center in a career that began in 2019.

That same season, a second-year lineman named James Daniels started the first eight games at center for the Chicago Bears. Daniels, who is entering his third season on the Steelers offensive line, hasn’t snapped in a game since. He found his footing as a guard and has played on the left or right side of the center for the past 41/2 seasons.

Also consider that if the Steelers move Herbig to center, who becomes the veteran backup interior lineman? None exists on the current roster except for 2023 seventh-round pick Spencer Anderson.

Same for switching Daniels. If he takes over in the pivot, who is the starting right guard? The Steelers didn’t sign a center in free agency after releasing Mason Cole. If they wanted to move Daniels, wouldn’t they have pursued a guard?

Which all leads to the Steelers taking a center with the No. 20 overall pick. Sure, they could wait until the second round and the No. 51 selection, but there is no guarantee the third-rated center on most draft boards — West Virginia’s Zach Frazier — still will be around.

That leaves the Steelers with a choice of Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson or Duke’s Graham Barton. Powers-Johnson entered the pre-draft process as the top prospect in his class. Barton, however, has risen on many analysts’ draft boards in recent weeks. He is an attractive option because he spent the past three seasons at left tackle, and the Steelers like players with versatility.

The last time, however, the Steelers took a player from his natural position and moved him to center, the results were forgettable. Kendrick Green lost his job late in his rookie season and never took another snap for the Steelers, spending his second season inactive on game days before he was dealt to Houston last summer.

This year, the Steelers have a chance to get it right. The last time they took a center in the first round, Maurkice Pouncey anchored the position for the next decade, making the Pro Bowl all nine seasons in which he was healthy.

That makes Powers-Johnson the logical choice at No. 20. No need to overthink it.

Here’s a rundown of who this writer thinks the Steelers will select in the 2024 NFL Draft:

1. (No. 20) Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon

The Rimington Award winner as the nation’s top center also was a first-team All-American. The downside is he was just a one-year starter at center in college after being a consensus top-five center prospect coming out of high school.

2. (No. 51) Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky

At 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, he brings a physical nature to the position. The Steelers love their receivers to be tough, so he could fit in nicely. His NFL.com comparison is 49ers star Deebo Samuel.

3. (No. 84) Renardo Green, CB, Florida State

Green is viewed as a press corner, much like Joey Porter Jr. Weighing in his favor is how he wasn’t overmatched against LSU’s first-round tandem of Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.

3. (No. 98): Dominik Puni, OT, Kansas

An older player with six years of college experience, Puni played both tackle spots and left guard in his career. He could develop as a swing tackle.

4. (No. 119) Tommy Eichenberg, ILB, Ohio State

The Big Ten Linebacker of the Year in 2023, Eichenberg had 82 tackles in 10 starts last season.

6. (No. 178) Tayvion Robinson, WR, Kentucky

Like they did two years ago when they selected George Pickens and Calvin Austin, the Steelers double down on receivers. Robinson could be an option in the slot.

6. (No. 195) Khristian Boyd, DT, Northern Iowa

Boyd doesn’t serve an immediate need on the defensive line, but he did have 61/2 tackles for loss and 31/2 sacks last year, his sixth in college.