The Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted three Georgia players the last two years, including rookie right tackle Broderick Jones. According to Pro Football Network’s Cam Mellor, he won’t be the last.
In his new mock draft released on January 13, Mellor predicted the Steelers to select center Sedrick Van Pran in the first round.
“It’s rare to see a center in the first round, but Sedrick Van Pran is a rare breed of athlete,” Mellor wrote. “He’ll move forward with precision and strength and keeps his head on a swivel in pass protection better than any center since Tyler Linderbaum.”
The Baltimore Ravens drafted Linderbaum in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. He made his first Pro Bowl during the 2023 season.
Same as Jones, who the Steelers picked in the first round last year, Van Pran started for Georgia during the team’s back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022.
How Georgia Center Sedrick Van Pran Would Fit With Steelers
As Mellor noted, center isn’t typically a position that NFL teams address in the first round. Last year, the New York Jets selected the first center with Joe Tippmann at No. 43 overall in the second round.
But in addition to Linderbaum, Mellor compared Van Pran to 5-time All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey.
“Van Pran has strength for days and a mean attitude when he’s on the move on the ground,” wrote Mellor. “Steelers fans haven’t seen a talent like this at center since Maurkice Pouncey.”
Similar to what Mellor projected for Van Pran, Pouncey was a center from an SEC championship and national champion team that the Steelers drafted in the first round. Pittsburgh selected Pouncey at No. 18 overall in the 2010 NFL draft.
Pouncey made an immediate impact for the Steelers, starting at center as a rookie when Pittsburgh advanced to the Super Bowl during the 2010 season.
In 2011 and 2014, Pouncey made first-team All-Pro. He was also second-team All-Pro in 2010, 2012 and 2018. Additionally, Pouncey made nine Pro Bowls.
If the Steelers scouting team considers Van Pran the next Pouncey, then the team won’t care about drafting a center in the first round.
Mason Cole has started at center for the Steelers the past two seasons. But his play was below average this past season.
Based on the Pro Football Focus player grades, Cole, who has one year remaining on his contract, was ranked 23rd among 32 centers who played at least 50% of his team’s offensive snaps in 2023.
Van Pran could push Cole during training camp and perhaps supplant him as the team’s starting center in 2024. But at the very least, Van Pran would provide the Steelers a long-term plan at center after Cole likely leaves in free agency.
Van Pran, Broderick Jones Won 2 National Champions at Georgia
While they don’t play next to each other on the offensive line, drafting Van Pran to play on the same line as Jones would be an interesting strategy for Pittsburgh. Both players started all 15 games when Georgia repeated as national champions in 2022.
Van Pran and Jones also played in every game during 2021.
In 2022, Georgia went undefeated while finishing fourth in the SEC in rushing yards per game. The Bulldogs also allowed the fewest sacks in the conference.
Not every NFL draft expert considers Van Pran a first-round pick. The Bleacher Report and ESPN analysts have him graded as a third-round player.
If the Steelers agree, though, they could still unite Jones with a different former college teammate in the first round. On December 9, Pro Football Network’s Dalton Miller predicted the Steelers to select Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims. With such a select, the Steelers could have two starting tackles from Georgia for the foreseeable future.
Mellor projected Mims to the Los Angeles Rams one draft selection ahead of the Steelers in his newest mock draft.
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Steelers Projected to Make ‘Rare’ Move to Reunite National Champion Teammates