Steelers Address Center, Land Speed Demon at WR in New Mock Draft

Chad Reuter of NFL.com released his new four-round mock draft on Friday, and as always, it got a little bit wild down the stretch. But the Steelers have five picks in the first four rounds, including four Top-100 selections. Overall, the draft addressed multiple needs.

They landed Duke offensive lineman Graham Barton in the first round, Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin in the second round, Missouri offensive tackle Javon Foster with their first pick in the third round, and then finished out the draft with Colorado State edge rusher Mo Kamara and Michigan cornerback Mike Sainristil.

Barton has played left tackle and center in the past, but he played center in 2020. That is only one year of experience, though most teams say Barton will shift inside. The Steelers are unlikely to draft a guy who will project as a guard, so if they draft Barton, it will be because they view him as an interior offensive lineman or believe he can stick it out at tackle.

He’s a talented, smooth mover. And Barton, with all of his experience, has become one of the more polished players in this class. You can compare him closely to Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski from the 2023 NFL Draft.

Meanwhile, Franklin was Bo Nix’s favorite target. A speedy receiver who could play inside and outside, Franklin did most of his work creating those explosive plays, winning down the field, and making people miss to create those plays.

The rest of those players could fit the bill, but especially Sainristil. The Steelers met with the impressive Michigan slot cornerback before his pro day on Friday, one of a few teams to do so, according to Tony Pauline. But it continues a strong string of interest that points to Sainristil being one of the potential answers in the slot for the Steelers.

The Steelers’ only pick that does not make a ton of sense is Kamara. While a good player who fits their prototype, that pick seems likelier to be a defensive lineman rather than an edge rusher.