Exaggerated responses from Steelers fans: Let’s find a new center!

Welcome to my weekly segment of “Overreactions from Steelers Nation,” where I playfully tease fans, pundits, and self-proclaimed experts while examining whether some of their bold claims hold any truth or are simply attention-seeking antics.

As the Pittsburgh Steelers navigate through the offseason, fans have shifted their focus to a new concern following the departure of C Mason Cole last week: finding his successor.

However, the truth is, the Steelers aren’t solely on the hunt for Cole’s replacement; their primary objective remains finding a worthy successor to the retired Maurkice Pouncey, who had an illustrious eleven-year tenure in Pittsburgh and could potentially be a future Hall of Famer.

Pouncey’s impact transcended the game in the Steel City, where the center position played a pivotal role in anchoring the run game and orchestrating significant plays. Preceded by the legendary Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson, both Hall of Famers in their own right, Pouncey continued a legacy of excellence at the center position.

With fans already eyeing potential draft targets, it’s evident that center is at the forefront of the Steelers’ priorities. However, drafting centers has its peculiarities.

While Pouncey was a first-round pick in 2010 (18th overall), Webster was a fifth-round steal in 1974 (125th overall), and Dawson was a second-round selection in 1988 (44th overall). Although the landscape of the NFL draft has evolved since then, one thing remains consistent: centers rarely land among the top 100 picks.

I conducted a similar analysis years ago when Pouncey retired, demonstrating that teams don’t necessarily need to reach for a center with their first pick to secure a solid player. However, the current strategy of relying on mid-round picks like Kendrick Green or journeymen free agents like Mason Cole hasn’t yielded ideal results for the Steelers.