Picking in the middle of Round 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their sights set on the middle of the football field. Center is their biggest need, the Steelers releasing Mason Cole after a difficult 2023 season and failing to sign any veteran replacement in free agency. It leaves the team thin on internal options and exploring the top centers in this year’s draft in Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson and West Virginia’s Zach Frazier.
In Ty Dunne’s Go Long Substack, Bob McGinn spoke with NFL scouts to get their thoughts on this year’s interior class. Earlier today, we noted they placed Graham Barton with the guards. At center, they ranked Powers-Johnson first and Frazier second, sharing praise and critiques of both.
Powers-Johnson was lauded for his old-school demeanor and tough attitude.
“Everybody tries to kill him because of certain things but he plays football the way it’s supposed to be played: tough,” one scout told McGinn.
Viewed as the top center and first-round pick throughout the draft process, his stock is starting to slip, at least in the minds of the media. Now, he’s viewed as a borderline first-round player who could fall into the early stages of Day 2. Experience is also an issue, Powers-Johnson a one-year starter in the middle who was injured during the first Senior Bowl practice. He’s also done limited testing throughout the pre-draft process, opting not to run a 40-yard dash.
One scout offered a specific concern relevant to the Steelers.
“I didn’t think he fit the wide zone for teams that are running that scheme. He’s a big mauler up top.”
New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is well-known for running a wide-zone system in Tennessee and Atlanta. His schemes are varied and aren’t exclusively outside zone based but it’s fair to wonder if a 330-pound Powers-Johnson is the best fit for that type of system. Smith’s centers have typically been on the smaller size, players like Ben Jones and Drew Dalman.
The general view on Frazier was a guy who just blocks people. He lacks great size or athleticism but gets the job done snap after snap, though scouts wondered if that will continue in the NFL.
“He was a good player but I struggle translating it to the next level.”
Frazier is highly experienced in the middle with well over 2,000 snaps, making him a cleaner projection at center than Barton or Powers-Johnson. In fact, one scout compared him to Ben Jones, the same name we used in our scouting report early in the pre-draft process. Another made a higher-level comp.
“He’s definitely Creed Humphrey…he’s a good enough athlete. Just gets in the way and blocks people. That’s what Creed does.”
Pittsburgh passed on Humphrey in the 2021 NFL Draft, selecting RB Najee Harris and TE Pat Freiermuth. Overall, those picks worked out though the Steelers’ decision to land on Kendrick Green did not, causing the team to replace him with Mason Cole one year later.
Frazier has been gaining steam in draftniks’ minds, now possibly a late first-round selection. The Steelers have done as much work on the offensive line as any team in the draft. With that work essentially over, we’ll find out who they actually select one week from now.
McGinn’s series is always an excellent one with a ton more information on this year’s o-line class. You can again check out Dunne’s Substack here.
