Though oddsmakers are just that, odds, the betting favorite to be the Pittsburgh Steelers first round pick this season is Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson. Bookies.com’s Adam Thompson released a a top-six list over the weekend with Powers-Johnson leading the pack. Here’s the list.
Steelers Draft Odds
1. Jackson Powers-Johnson/C Oregon – 25 percent (+300)
2. Graham Barton/C Duke – 22.2 percent (+350)
3. Brian Thomas/WR LSU – 18.2 percent (+450)
4. JC Latham/OT Alabama – 16.7 percent (+500)
4. AD Mitchell/WR Texas – 16.7 percent (+500)
6. Troy Fautanu/OL Washington – 11.8 percent (+750)
7. The Field – 8.3 percent (+1100)
Overall, a tightly bunched group. That’s a departure from past years when the team’s first round pick felt more obvious. In 2022, it was clear the team would take a quarterback, though guessing who was more difficult. In 2021, RB Najee Harris was as much of a layup as any team’s first round selection.
Powers-Johnson is regarded by many as the top-rated center. It’s also arguably the Steelers biggest position of need, not adding anything in the offseason after releasing veteran Mason Cole. But several draftniks wonder if Powers-Johnson will fall into the late stages of Round One, making him more of a need selection than value pick. Pittsburgh also didn’t send Mike Tomlin or Omar Khan to his Pro Day and to date, there’s been no reporting of him coming in for a pre-draft visit. If that holds, selecting him would break plenty of precedent.
But the same could be said about Barton or Thomas. Barton is more of a projection, primarily a college left tackle, but he’s a plus athlete with nasty and aggression. Thomas is a height/weight/speed dynamo but must refine his game. Latham is a mauling right tackle with athleticism concerns while Mitchell is a freak athlete like Thomas but shows an inconsistent game. Fautanu might be the team’s pick, brought in for a visit Monday, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be available at No. 20.
Curiously, Georgia OT Amarius Mims doesn’t crack the top six. He checks most of the conventional boxes the team looks for: pedigree, size, and Pro Day stops by Tomlin and Khan. His issue is a lack of experience, eight career starts after being limited in 2023 due to a high ankle sprain. Oregon State Taliese Fuaga also isn’t on this list, though many projections have him off the board by the time Pittsburgh’s put on the clock. No cornerback cracks the top-six despite the team’s interest in Clemson’s Nate Wiggins and the top-two Alabama corners, Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry.
