Is Mike Tomlin eyeing Steelers' next great offensive lineman at Senior Bowl?
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is making his presence felt once again at the 2024 Senior Bowl practices and he may already have his eyes set on who he believes could be Pittsburgh's next great offensive lineman.
Tomlin was reportedly paying close attention to Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, whom he was seen speaking with after the Senior Bowl's first practice.
There's good reason for Tomlin's interest in the 21-year-old. Powers-Johnson dominated for much of the day, throwing some of the 2024 NFL Draft's top defensive lineman prospects to the ground in one-on-ones.
It will be costly to add Powers-Johnson to the Steelers roster in 2024, however. He ranks as Pro Football Focus's best center and the No. 22 overall prospect on its big board.
But Pittsburgh is slated to make its first selection at pick No. 20, barring any trade up or trade down of course. It wouldn't be a flashy first-round pick, but it would be a necessary one.
Mason Cole, who has served as the team's center for the past two seasons, was rated as one of the worst centers in the NFL, per PFF.
The soon-to-be 28-year-old signed a three-year, $15.75 million deal with the Steelers in 2022 but they can cut ties with him this offseason. Moving on from Cole would save the team $4.75 million in cap space.
Powers-Johnson could then be the perfect replacement for Cole. The 6-foot-3, 320-pound center was named a first-team All-American after allowing just one pressure on 471 pass-blocking opportunities.
The last time Pittsburgh used a first-round pick on a center was in 2010 (Maurkice Pouncey). Things turned out quite well as he was one of the best centers in the league for over a decade.
There's still a lot of time between now and the draft at the end of April for draft stocks to rise and fall. But Powers-Johnson could very well be the Steelers' next great offensive lineman.
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