After sneaking into the postseason as a Wild Card team despite finishing third in the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers know they have some roster work to do this offseason. It starts at quarterback, deciding whether they should prioritize furthering Kenny Pickett’s development, add a mid-level competitor like Mason Rudolph, or swing for the fences for someone like Russell Wilson.
Once that decision is settled, the Steelers can begin filling out the rest of their roster as they finalize their plans for the 2024 NFL Draft. While we’re still over a month away from the start of the draft, we can start identifying some of the team’s other big needs, such as reinforcing the offensive line.
The Steelers hold the 20th pick in this year’s draft, which puts them in a position to add a potential impact player to the roster, and there’s one player who may be catching Pittsbugh’s eye.
Pittsburgh Steelers may make Jackson Powers-Johnson a first-round pick
Just like last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers could go in a number of directions with their first-round pick. Positions like cornerback, wide receiver, and offensive line are all areas of need. But the Steelers invested a top pick at cornerback last year by adding Joey Porter Jr. George Pickens is entrenched as the No. 1 receiver, which means the Steelers may be able to afford to address the receiver position later.
But offensive line? That’s been a major weakness for several years now, plaguing this offense in a number of ways. Perhaps that’s why some NFL insiders suggest the Steelers could ‘reach’ to fill arguably their greatest need.
The latest example comes from Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline. His latest NFL mock draft has the Steelers selecting Alabama’s JC Latham, an offensive tackle, but he also offered a surprise name many may not expect: Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Powers-Johnson has been rapidly rising up the draft boards and is viewed as the best center available in the 2024 NFL Draft class. Now, according to Pauline, he could even hear his name called on the first night of the draft.
With big needs to fill along their interior offensive line, adding a center with high upside like Powers-Johnson could be a great way to improve the Steelers in the trenches. Otherwise, there’s always free agency.