The Pittsburgh Steelers added another XFL player to their minicamp invite list in St. Louis Battlehawks center Mike Panasiuk, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC.
The Steelers had previous interest in Panasiuk, as the team hosted him for a visit in January and also had him in for a visit last July. He played at Michigan State from 2016-19 as a defensive tackle and had five career sacks, while racking up 10 tackles for a loss during his senior year. He has guard/center versatility and Dave Bryan mentioned him as a potential candidate to fill the Steelers’ hole at backup center behind Mason Cole.
With the team opting to move on from center J.C. Hassenauer, who signed with the New York Giants in free agency, their quest to find a viable backup center will likely be decided through minicamp and training camp. Right now, that spot is occupied by Ryan McCollum, who the Steelers signed during training camp last season. He spent most of 2022 on the team’s practice squad.
There’s no shortage of options to win the job at camp, with seventh-round pick Spencer Anderson, undrafted free agent Trevor Downing and now Panasiuk. The team also invited North Carolina A&T center Dacquari Wilson to minicamp.
The son of first-generation Polish immigrants, Panasiuk was named to the All-XFL team at center. Over the summer, he showed off his strength by pushing a 1,300-lb sled.
When Pansiuk entered the NFL, he measured in at 6’4, 300 lbs so he has decent size for an interior offensive lineman. His recent football experience is certainly a plus as he just played a full XFL season. XFL players can’t officially sign with an NFL team until May 15, so Panasiuk could land a contract with the Steelers with a good performance at minicamp this weekend.
