Steelers Attend Oregon Pro Day to Scout Jackson Powers-Johnson

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer is in Eugene for Oregon pro day to watch potential first-round center Jackson Powers-Johnson, according to Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy. Head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan are not in attendance, which usually is a sign for future Steelers first-round picks.

t’s rare for a center to go in the first round, but Powers-Johnson has played himself into legitimate first round hype. His movement skills for someone of his size, over 330 pounds, is so rare. And yet, he has only started for one legitimate season. For someone that inexperienced at center to play the way he did speaks to coaching, but also the rare player he is coming out of college.

On his lone day at the Senior Bowl, Powers-Johnson showcased elite core strength, and even reset his hands twice after getting beat initially underneath his pads. But he is a former wrestler and understands how to maximize leverage and win at the point of attack. It should be no surprise that he has already made a name for himself.

But while he played center for only one year, he even got some reps at guard and showed out there. That was for the first in two seasons, but that type of mentality and performance is what Powers-Johnson brings to the table.

“I just wanted to go out there and have fun,” Powers-Johnson said. “It was a good time. I didn’t want to stress about it.”

Mike Tomlin is all around these guys, but there was an in-depth group of people attending for Pittsburgh. General manager Omar Khan, assistant general manager Andy Weidl, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, and others are in Mobile, but where Tomlin goes is usually a solid indication on just who the Steelers are looking at in the 2024 NFL Draft.

And all he did for the entire day was hang around the offensive line. He stood right on the heels of all of these one-on-ones the entire time, talking to guys like Guyton and Powers-Johnson throughout the afternoon and morning. Tomlin is not lying when he is says he is a junkie come this time of year. But the early indications are simple — the Steelers are looking at offensive line.