Pittsburgh The Pittsburgh Steelers have filled almost all of their voids this offseason, but they still lack two players on their roster as free agency draws to a close and the NFL Draft approaches.
To finish off their 2024 roster, the Steelers are still in need of a slot cornerback and a center. They claim to have Nate Herbig as a center, but it doesn’t seem likely that they would trust a player who doesn’t normally play in that position with such a crucial role. It seems like Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin are looking for a sure thing now that Mason Cole has moved on, so they might try adding one early in the NFL Draft.
Thus far, they have dispatched offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to Duke’s Pro Day to observe Graham Barton, and offensive line coach Pat Meyer to Oregon’s Pro Day to scout Jackson Powers-Johnson. The team is anticipated to host Zach Frazier of West Virginia for a local pre-draft visit after meeting with Sedrick Van Pran of Georgia at the NFL Combine.
Presumably, they select their starting center in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, if one were to speculate.
Next up is slot corner. Paradoxically, Tomlin described the slot as a “work in progress” when questioned about the center position at the 2024 NFL Meetings, even though it may not be ideal.
It’s still a work in progress, you know. Of course, we still have Nate Herbig on the team, but we still have work to do, whether it’s in the draft or free agency. At that position, we’ll undoubtedly accomplish something,” Tomlin said to All Steelers. “But you can say the same thing about, you know, some other obvious positions where we might be short on the depth chart from a number standpoint.”
There are choices there for the Steelers as well. Tomlin stated that he is amenable to Patrick Peterson coming back, who would probably come in and start beside Donte Jackson and Joey Porter Jr. Additionally, they have arranged a pre-draft visit with Pitt star M.J., and they have talked with numerous cornerbacks at the NFL Combine.Devonshire, who All Steelers’ Stephen Thompson says is a great fit for the slot at the NFL level.
“He’s got great speed. He’s a ballhawk as well. I think he would fit really well as a slot corner,” Thompson said on All Steelers Talk. He’s not particularly big, neither height nor weight, but he’s got some nice long arms. He’s sticky in coverage. I like M.J. I think M.J. has really impressed a lot of people with his physical attributes at the Combine and at his Pro Day. Then, you turn on the field and he had kind of a rough start to the season – first third or so of the season last year – but he’s been a number one corner for the last two seasons and played really well for the most part in that position.”
If they’d like to take the free agent route, another Pitt name in Avonte Maddox is still available, as if Chandon Sullivan, who could re-sign with Pittsburgh.
Expect additions to both of these positions before the end of the offseason. Khan has made it known numerous times that he’s looking to put a winning team together for this season, and with the moves he’s made to this point, there’s no sense they’ll hit the breaks now.
