The Pittsburgh Steelers figure to address plenty of roster needs this offseason, the second full one under GM Omar Khan. He certainly got busy turning over the roster this past year, typical for a first-year GM, even an internal hire like himself (Khan was GM for the 2022 season but 2023 was his first year to actually build a roster).
But with the Steelers failing to meet expectations and likely to extend their playoff drought to seven straight seasons, Khan’s job is far from done. High on the list of needs will be center. Mason Cole has manned the middle for the last two seasons, putting in a solid 2022 campaign but regressing in 2023. While he’s gotten a bit better than the first month of this season, his pass protection has been poor and his snaps are getting worse, even if the Steelers are seemingly brushing aside those concerns.
Cole isn’t the Steelers’ long-term answer. Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson might be.
Powers-Johnson officially declared for the 2024 NFL Draft yesterday, making the announcement on Twitter.
This year’s Rimington Award winner as college football’s top center, he could be one of the first pivots off the board in April. Our Jonathan Heitritter included his name in his most recent mock draft, selecting him in the third round of his Steelers’ mock. He wrote:
“He’s an aggressive, tenacious run blocker that holds his own as a pass protector as well, looking like a quality prospect that can develop into an NFL starting center.”
At 6-3, 320 pounds, Powers-Johnson has the size the Steelers like in offensive linemen and also the athleticism to function in space, something the team is gravitating toward with the additions of RG James Daniels in 2022 and OT Broderick Jones in 2023. A high school wrestler, Power-Johnson has a good understanding of leverage and offers a bit of versatility too, seeing action at guard in 2021 and 2022.
The draft analyst consensus pegs Powers-Johnson as the second- or third-best center in this year’s draft with most selecting Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran as the top name. While I’m very early into my personal study of this year’s draft class, the center class this year appears to be strong. Beyond Powers-Johnson and Van Pran, other notable names include West Virginia’s Zach Frazier and Duke’s Graham Barton. In December, it’s far too early to focus on any one name.
But Powers-Johnson is as good a place to start as any. Pittsburgh could use another “JPJ” on the team. The Steelers’ history is rich with great centers and the Steelers typically win Super Bowls (or at least go to one) when they have that kind of guy. Mike Webster, Dirt Dawson, Maurkice Pouncey along with others like Jeff Hartings and Ray Mansfield. Likely, 2024 is the year the Steelers look to seriously invest in the position, hopefully with better returns than the last time they tried.
