The Pittsburgh Steelers are in need of a center, and the one most linked to them throughout the pre-draft process so far has been Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson. He showed out well at the Senior Bowl and is now turning heads during drills at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. Watch here as he tosses Steelers assistant OL coach Isaac Williams to the ground during a drill, via Oregon Football on X.
The Steelers have four assistant coaches getting a close-up look at prospects during the combine, and Williams is one of them. He helped in a similar capacity last combine. Funny enough, the Steelers eventual first-round draft pick, OT Broderick Jones, did a very similar thing to Williams last year.
Both of these prospects flashed that nasty demeanor on their college game tape, so it is no surprise to see them practicing how they play. Last season, the Steelers drafted Jones with the 14th overall pick in the first round after trading up three spots to get him. This season, the Steelers are picking 20th overall. They did not meet with Powers-Johnson at the combine, but there was a trend this season of them not doubling up on prospects that they would have met with at the Senior Bowl. What will be more telling is their presence at his Pro Day and a top-30 visit over the next month and a half.
The Steelers recently released C Mason Cole after he started in that position for two seasons. Free agency starts next week, so it is possible they could address the position for additional depth, but a center being selected in the first two days of the draft feels inevitable at this point. The position has not been stable since Maurkice Pouncey left in 2021.
Powers-Johnson has had a hamstring issue bothering him the last couple months, so he opted not to run the 40-yard dash at the combine, but he measured at 6033, 328 pounds, with 32 1/4-inch arms. He had a vertical leap of 32 inches and a broad jump of 8’8″.
