The Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing in two pre-draft visitors on Wednesday, as Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson and Notre Dame OT Blake Fisher are meeting with the Steelers at their South Side practice facility, per Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Powers-Johnson has frequently been linked to the Steelers as one of the top centers in the draft with the Steelers one of the NFL’s most center-needy teams. Powers-Johnson could be an option in the first round at No. 20 overall if the team does decide to target the position in the first round. Other center options for the Steelers could include West Virginia’s Zach Frazier, Duke’s Graham Barton and Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran-Granger.
Powers-Johnson and Barton are in contention for the first center off the board, but Barton could also play tackle or guard whereas Powers-Johnson is a true center. The Steelers haven’t found a solution at center since Maurkice Pouncey retired following the 2020 season. After releasing Mason Cole in February, the team’s best option at the position currently is Nate Herbig, and it’s a position the Steelers will likely address early. Passing on Powers-Johnson in the first would be a risk if the Steelers wanted to address the position in the second, so there’s definitely a chance he could be Pittsburgh’s first-round pick this year. Having a pre-draft visit definitely helps that idea.
Fisher started for Notre Dame as a freshman and has a lot of college experience, making him a strong option in the middle rounds for the Steelers. One plus is also that he was a right tackle in college, and he could help the Steelers hold down the fort at right tackle while they kick Broderick Jones over to the left side. In his collegiate career, Fisher had 1,675 snaps at right tackle, and he also had a meeting with the Steelers at the NFL Scouting Combine, a meeting that he said was “really good.” At the Combine, he measured in at 6056 and 310 pounds with 34 3/8-inch arms.
While he might not be a Day 1 starter, he’s a solid developmental piece that the Steelers could work with and have him be the right tackle of the future while moving Jones back to his natural spot at left tackle. The Steelers have been linked to a number of tackles who could go early and are likely Day 1 selections, such as Georgia’s Amarius Mims. If the Steelers decide to wait to address the offensive tackle position until the middle rounds, Fisher could be the pick with one of Pittsburgh’s third-round selections or possibly its fourth-round pick.
