The Pittsburgh Steelers have a major need at center still at this point in the offseason, so it seems like the 2024 NFL Draft will be the best bet for Pittsburgh and GM Omar Khan to address the position.
Fortunately for the Steelers, the 2024 NFL Draft class is rather loaded at the center position, featuring names like Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson, West Virginia’s Zach Frazier and Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran-Granger to name a few.
There is also the possibility of Duke’s Graham Barton moving to center full-time in the NFL, too. So, the Steelers have plenty of options that are plug-and-play starters at the pivot immediately.
That’s the direction NFL Network’s Charles Davis has the Steelers going in his latest mock draft for NFL.com.
Davis paired the Steelers with Powers-Johnson, giving the Steelers arguably the best center in the class at No. 20 overall.
“I had the Steelers taking an offensive tackle in the first round for the second straight year in my last mock (Broderick Jones was the pick in 2023), but a chance to get the best center in the draft is hard to pass up,” Davis writes regarding the selection of Powers-Johnson for the Steelers.
Power-Johnson has been a popular name tied to the Steelers throughout the pre-draft process.
Pittsburgh met with him at the Senior Bowl and had assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams get a close look at him during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where Powers-Johnson went viral for tossing Williams to the side in a drill.
Then offensive line coach Pat Meyer made the trek to Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks’ Pro Day, getting a good look at Powers-Johnson while putting him through position drills.
While names like Alabama OT JC Latham and Georgia OT Amarius Mims remain on the board in this scenario, it’s hard to be against the selection of Powers-Johnson. Though he had just one full season of starting experience at center in college, Powers-Johnson was one of the top centers in the country coming out of high school as a five-star prospect.
The pedigree is there.
He plays with a nasty, aggressive mentality, too, which would endear him to the Steelers’ fan base.
Steelers Depot’s own Jonathan Heitritter put together the scouting report on Powers-Johnson and compared him favorably to former Ravens and Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen, writing:
“Jackson Powers-Johnson is a plug-and-play center prospect who doesn’t have a lot of holes in his game and has plenty of strengths that translate well to the NFL. He’s a more than capable blocker both in the running game and in pass protection, utilizing his strength and nastiness to his advantage as he imposes his will on opposing defenders. He anchors well in pass protection and can make base blocks as well as blocks down the field as a run blocker. He may not test extremely well, but Powers-Johnson is a steady presence who appears to be hitting his stride as a center prospect, having bounced around from guard to start his college career.”
The Steelers haven’t been able to figure out the center position since the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey after the 2020 season. Powers-Johnson feels like a relatively safe bet to be that answer to the position long-term in the Steel City.
