Steelers Now
Originally appeared at Steelers Now: Farabaugh: Pittsburgh Steelers 7-Round Mock Draft
I don’t write many mock drafts. I only write every year because I often find it banal to painstaking crease through prospects without the full table of information needed to make picks. Last year, I got three picks right: Broderick Jones, Keeanu Benton, and Nick Herbig. I’m not sure I will be able to pull that off again this year, especially because this is the murkiest a Steelers draft has felt in a long time. But here it goes—my one and only 7-round Steelers mock draft.
I tossed and turned about this one but could not decide until early this morning. Honestly, I think I whittled down this pick to two or maybe three options. But Amarius Mims and Graham Barton stand above the rest. They have the clearest interest throughout the entire process, but I have the Steelers breaking their pro-day precedent for the first time in 14 years here instead of going with the guy the hints say they will take in Mims.
It’s not even about Barton himself or the natural interest in him as much, really. No doubt, he’s a talented player and my top center in this class, but I just had to use logic on this one more than anything. It makes sense to kick Jones back over to left tackle, but this team does not have a starting center, no matter how much they wax poetic about Nate Herbig and what he could do in the Arthur Smith offense.
Barton is an athletic, experienced player who would transition to center. I think he can do and will become quite a good center, but I understand the nervousness if this is the pick, given the team’s past failures with moving guys around the offensive line. Barton is quite polished, though he will have to work on his punch timing to embrace his upside in pass protection fully. He should immediately be a game-changer in the run game and fill Pittsburgh’s hole at the center position.
Others Considered: Georgia OT Amarius Mims, Washington OT Troy Fautanu, LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr., Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton
If center is the pick in the first round, I have to think wide receiver is not far behind in the second round. Honestly, there are several candidates I considered here. But it came down to Roman Wilson and Ricky Pearsall. Xavier Legette is likely off the board. This is too early for Malachi Corley and the other guys who will go about this range; they have generally not shown explicit interest in it. Ja’Lynn Polk would be an excellent fit with the team. Too, but unless this is a smokescreen on a West Coast player they love, it is hard to see him being the pick.
So, I picked Wilson, who shined at the Senior Bowl and Mike Tomlin seemed...
