Steelers Mock Draft: Pittsburgh Lands Top Center, Rising QB
It’s never too early to start making mock drafts, especially if your favorite football team is coming off two straight losses to two-win teams. When the vibes around this team have reached cataclysmic levels of depressing, it’s time to look inward to a brighter future, just off the horizon. It’s time to think about the NFL draft and what directions the Pittsburgh Steelers could go in. ROUND 1: JACKSON POWERS-JOHNSON, CENTER, OREGON The last time the Steelers took a player with the initials J-P-J, it worked out fairly well, so why not try it again? In all seriousness, Jackson Powers-Johnson is very likely to be the top center prospect in this upcoming draft class due to his scheme versatility that stems from his incredible skillset to handle diverse blocking schemes in the run game.
Not only is Powers-Johnson athletic enough to make those difficult reach blocks you see from outside/wide zone schemes, along with being able to make blocks out in space with ease, but he is also one of the strongest, most powerful players you’ll see. In a mostly top-heavy center class that will fall off after the top four, that type of power and nastiness is what will separate Powers-Johnson from the rest.
According to Pro Football Focus, Powers-Johnson finished the regular season with the top pass-blocking grade among all centers and finished third in run-blocking grade. He also played a ton of right guard the previous year and has a wrestling background from high school that shows up quite often with his hand usage and consistent leverage. It’s been easy to note the defensive impact a player like Keeanu Benton has had so early, and much of that is due to his ready-made hand usage from his wrestling days. Also helps that he is among the younger players in this class, as he’ll be turning 21 around the end of January. If the Steelers could get that type of day-one impact
from the center position, it would be hard to pass up that type of player. Expect to see him in a ton of mocks going forward. ROUND 2: MALACHI CORLEY, WIDE RECEIVER, WESTERN KENTUCKY Receiver is simultaneously a need and a luxury pick for this team. When it comes to certain positions like cornerback that are deemed to be more pressing, there is a good opportunity to address that in free agency with a player like Jaylon Johnson. This receiver class, on paper, is a position group that looks to be special at both the top and in terms of depth. Enter Malachi Corley; possessing a rocked-up build of 5 foot 11, 210 pounds, Corley is among the stronger yards after-
the-catch threats in this class, having forced 40 missed tackles during his 2022 season, which is the highest by a receiver since 2016, according to Pro Football Focus’ charting data. It also aids in his ability to play through contact throughout the entirety of the route.
