After calling the selection of Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu a “perfect fit” for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler went right to work on putting together some good fits for the Steelers on Day 2 in his second- and third-round mock draft for The Athletic Friday morning.
Seemingly addressing the tackle position with the selection of Fautanu, the Steelers enter Day 2 of the NFL draft in Detroit with some key needs remaining at wide receiver, center and cornerback. Brugler tried to address that in his mock Friday morning.
With three picks on Day 2 of the draft, Brugler started things out fast for the Steelers in his mock, landing Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson at No. 51 overall, addressing center immediately.
Powers-Johnson, of course, has been a player the Steelers have been tied to throughout the pre-draft process. Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer made the trip to Eugene, Ore., to put the center through position drills at the Ducks’ Pro Day before Pittsburgh hosted him for a pre-draft visit at its South Side facility last week.
Not only that, assistant offensive line coach Isaac Williams got a close look at him during position drills during the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, going viral for being thrown to the side by Powers-Johnson in one drill, similar to what Steelers tackle Broderick Jones did to Williams one year ago in Indianapolis.
While Powers-Johnson had just one year of starting experience at Oregon, he is arguably the best center prospect in the class. Though he believed he was a first-round center, he ended up falling out of the first round, which could really be beneficial to the Steelers. He would be an immediate starter for the Steelers, bringing a serious edge to the position once again, something they haven’t had since Maurkice Pouncey’s prime.
After getting Powers-Johnson at No. 51 in Brugler’s mock draft, the Steelers then addressed another need at No. 84 overall, landing Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton and giving Pittsburgh a potential running mate for George Pickens.
Burton measures in at 6000, 196 and spent the last two seasons at Alabama after starting his collegiate career at Georgia. Coming out of Alabama, Burton has some character concerns, which could scare some teams off, but there is a talented receiver there with big-play ability.
Last season for the Crimson Tide, Burton had 39 catches for 798 yards and eight touchdowns, leading the SEC in yards per reception at 20.5. He’ll turn 23 in June, too.
In Burton’s scouting report for Steelers Depot, Jonathan Heitritter had this to say:
“Jermaine Burton is an underrated name in this wide receiver class as his stats in college didn’t pop off the screen, but he was a dynamic playmaker who made the most of his opportunities when presented. He needs to continue to refine his craft as a route runner and show more desire as a blocker, but Burton has the juice to be a deep threat in the league and operate in all facets of the game from a solid YAC receiver to a guy that can be a reliable intermediate/red zone threat.”
Rounding out the Day 2 mock from Brugler, the Steelers landed Louisville cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. at No. 98 overall, addressing the cornerback position behind Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson.
Brownlee is a player Brugler previously mocked to the Steelers in his final seven-round mock last week, though he had Brownlee off the board to Pittsburgh at No. 119 overall in the fourth round, rather than No. 98 in the third round. Still, he sees a fit there.
Brownlee measured in at 5103, 194 pounds coming out of Louisville with 31 1/4-inch arms. He clocked a 4.51 40-yard dash and recorded a 31.5-inch vertical jump and a 9’10” broad jump at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He also participated in the Senior Bowl in Mobile in January and early February.
Prior to his time at Louisville, Brownlee spent three seasons at Florida State. In 2023 with the Cardinals, Brownlee registered one interception and earned All-ACC honorable mention accolades. Steelers Depot’s Tom Mead compared him to Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson for his toughness in coverage and coming downhill against the run.
If that were to be the haul on Day 2 for the Steelers, landing Powers-Johnson, Burton and Brownlee to address three key areas of need, that would be a heck of a job by GM Omar Khan, even if there is some concern about Burton overall off the field.
