Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah spends his time now breaking down the draft for NFL.com. And Jeremiah feels Steelers fans will be very happy with who is available in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft in April.
Speaking on Steelers Nation Radio at the NFL Scouting Combine, Jeremiah feels the draft lines up well with the potential needs of the Steelers.
“If you need a corner or tackle, it’s a good draft,” Jeremiah said Tuesday. “I think the tricky thing is going to be you’re going to have to pass up the center, and if you pass your center, (you’re) probably going to have to wait until round three or four.”
Jeremiah considers three centers, Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, Duke’s Graham Barton and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, as first-round or early second-round players, but then sees a gap between them and the next players available at that position.
The Steelers selected offensive tackle Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, moving up via a trade with the Patriots to the 14th pick to do so.
According to Jeremiah, if the Steelers covet another offensive tackle in this draft to pair with Jones, they won’t have to move up to get a good one this year. The Steelers’ first pick is at 20.
“I think there’s eight potential first-round pick tackles,” Jeremiah said.
Last year, Jones was the fourth of five offensive tackles selected in the first round of the draft.
After selecting Jones in the first round last year, the Steelers used the first pick of the second round – a pick acquired via a trade with Chicago Bears for wide receiver Chase Claypool – on cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
