Duquesne WR DJ Powell has been invited to the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp, the school announced today. Powell was a first-team all-Northeast Conference selection last season after leading the Dukes with 713 receiving yards.
He also added nine touchdowns and had 20.97 yards per catch last season, as his 713 yards came on just 34 receptions. He measured in at 6025 and 191 pounds while running a 4.72 40-yard dash. He transferred to Duquesne as a graduate transfer after four seasons at Bethune-Cookman where he had over 900 receiving yards during his time at the Florida school. His best season at Bethune-Cookman came in 2021, when he had 22 receptions for 471 yards and two touchdowns, which included an 82-yard grab. He also had a touchdown against UCF in 2021.
In 2022, when Bethune-Cookman played Miami (Fla.), Powell had two grabs for 56 yards, which included a 48-yard reception.
Pittsburgh’s rookie minicamp will take place this Friday-Sunday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. The Steelers already have a Duquesne alum on the roster in LS Christian Kuntz. Powell will look to get signed to a Steelers team with a wide receiver room that has a decent amount of depth with Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, Dez Fitzpatrick and Marquez Callaway behind George Pickens and Roman Wilson, but no real standout option.
Last season, Powell was sixth in the FCS with his 20.97 yards per reception and scored a touchdown in seven games. His nine touchdown receptions led the Northeast Conference, as did his yards per reception total. He also had a catch in all 12 games and multiple receptions in nine games last season. He was one of two receivers in the Northeast Conference to have multiple touchdown receptions in multiple games.
Duquesne finished the 2023 season at 7-5 and 6-1 in conference play but lost in the first round of the FCS Playoffs to Youngstown State in a 40-7 blowout. Powell’s highest yardage total came in a Nov. 4 win at Wagner, when he had five receptions for 111 yards.
Dwayne Menders, another Duquesne wide receiver, participated in Pittsburgh’s rookie minicamp in 2023 but was not signed to a contract. Given Pittsburgh’s depth at receiver, Powell may be facing an uphill battle to get a contract, but his ability to work downfield makes him an intriguing add as Pittsburgh continues to finalize its minicamp invites.
