The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season came to an abrupt end following a tough Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. Fans will have to wait another year to possibly see the team win its first playoff game since the 2016 season. While free agency is an exciting part of the offseason, the NFL Draft is widely regarded as the best. Following a fantastic year in 2023, General Manager Omar Khan and Assistant General Manager Andy Weidl will have their hands full trying to replicate a strong class. Some needs are more obvious than others, and selecting NFL-ready prospects will not be easy.
A key position that the team is likely to target at some point is center. Mason Cole was signed to a three-year deal in the 2022 offseason and was extremely inconsistent in his second year with the team. His snaps were all over the place and he didn’t play hard-nosed enough to bulldoze opposing defenders. There’s no reason for Khan not to bring in some serious competition for the veteran.
One of the top targets at the position in the 2023 class is Jackson Powers-Johnson out of the University of Oregon. He played a tremendous role in a high-scoring Ducks’ offense and was originally looked at as a second-round pick. Unfortunately for Steelers fans who may be falling in love with him, the most respected draft analyst out there, Mel Kiper Jr., said on First Draft, a podcast he co-hosts with Field Yates, that Powers-Johnson is rising quickly after Senior Bowl practices.
“He’s just a rock. I mean he just cannot be… an immovable center, a guy that can do everything you want, has a confidence level about him that you kind of play off of and everybody sees and everybody feels like ‘okay, we know we got this guy who can anchor our line for a long time.'”
Powers-Johnson is the first player Kiper discussed when Yates asked him to talk a little bit about who may be considered as a “riser” on draft boards after the practices at the Senior Bowl. The last time Pittsburgh drafted a center in the first round, Maurkice Pouncey went on to be an incredible player for 10 seasons. The question becomes, with so many needs, would the Steelers be willing to select Powers-Johnson with the 20th overall pick to replace Cole?
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Steelers center Mason Cole (#61) stands on the field at St. Vincent College as the team warms up prior to a 2023 training camp practice in Latrobe, PA
Kiper didn’t stop gushing over how good Powers-Johnson is and he truly believes that he has the potential to be a very good player in the NFL for a long time. He was confident in his analysis.
Steelers Can’t Afford To Let Cole Snap Footballs In 2024
It was mind-blowing just how bad Cole was in 2023. If the Steelers are serious about taking the next step on offense, keeping Cole in the starting lineup would be a grave mistake. He is looked at as a great leader, but has not automatically earned a third year as Pittsburgh’s first-string center. It might not be the craziest thing to go after a guy like Powers-Johnson in the first round.
Do you think the Steelers could use their 2024 first-round selection on a center? Let us know in th comments below!
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