Both All-star games will be taking place on Friday and Saturday for the pre-draft events. First up will be the East-West Shrine game, which normally hosts prospects that are mid to late-round picks. The Senior Bowl is where the bigger names will participate. The Steelers are always well-represented at these events and both Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan will likely show up in person to watch and meet prospects.
There are plenty of holes that need to be filled on this roster and different upgrades that would be nice to accomplish. Investing back into the trenches on both sides of the football will probably be high on the Steeler's list of to-dos, but so will focusing on other positions as well. Keep a close eye this week on different prospects who do well during practices and those who struggle. This week will help sink or raise draft stocks for these NFL hopefuls.
Jackson Powers-Johnson could be the best center in the NFL Draft
Play at the center position has taken a hit over the past couple of days. News broke that Sedrick Van Pran would not be in attendance or participate. It was also let known that Zach Frazier would not be able to go due to an injury that he continues to heal from. That could be a problem in the future if they cannot test or work out for NFL teams. A good showing at the Senior Bowl could have cemented their status in this class.
One name that should go into this game with a new bill of confidence is Jackson Powers-Johnson. He has been the center at Oregon for a couple of years now and should be the top center taken in the upcoming NFL Draft. He seems to be the only realistic top option at center performing in practices and in the game itself this week. He can easily set himself in front of every other player at his position with a good showing.
He is athletic for his size and has routinely been a solid player at his position. Powers-Johnson has a lot of experience at the center spot. The Steelers would probably have to use their first-round pick on this prospect because he will unlikely last until their second-round selection. The first round might be a little rich, but Powers-Johnson would be an immediate upgrade over Mason Cole.
Joe Milton III could be a nice day three option for the Steelers at QB
Art Rooney mentioned yesterday that they need more out of Kenny Pickett. He has to take the next step this upcoming season as it will be his last shot to be the starter for the Steelers moving forward. Ideally, Pittsburgh would have a better option to challenge Pickett for his starting spot for this upcoming season, but it will likely be Mason Rudolph or someone of that caliber.
Bringing in a Rudolph-type and having them and Pickett battle for the starting spot seems like the plan for the Steelers right now. All of this could change if someone became available that they did not expect. But bringing another in to compete as the starter and drafting the position in a mid to late-round pick seems to be the route the black and gold are going to take.
Joe Milton III is someone the Steelers could have an interest in and would fit that mid to late-round option. He has a strong arm and would probably rival most in this class. That is one of his biggest attributes as a passer. He has incredible size for the position and showed some mobility this season, which he did not do much of before this campaign.
Issues with Milton are his consistency and decision-making. Those are the two main issues, and those are pretty significant. If he can clean those up, then this could be a Josh Allen-type of player. Injuries slowed down his career path, but he has put up decent numbers when called to start. He has a lot of traits that will attract teams to draft him, and he needs to do well at the Senior Bowl to improve his draft stock.
Keep an eye on Taliese Fuaga at the Senior Bowl at Offensive tackle
Offensive line should be another focus of the Steelers as they get closer to the draft. There are a lot of quality players both at center and on both sides at offensive tackle. Pittsburgh should be scouting both closely, but the Steelers should show some of their cards early in the offseason. They have some cap decisions to make at the starting center and right tackle spots.
If Pittsburgh cuts Chuks Okorafor or Mason Cole, they will need to fill those spots. Broderick Jones is currently the starting right tackle, but ideally, he gets moved back to left tackle. That would mean Dan Moore Jr. would finally be a backup and the Steelers would need to fill the void at right tackle in either free agency or the upcoming draft.
Luckily for the black and gold, there are plenty of quality tackles in this draft class, especially on the right side. A couple of names to watch at the Senior Bowl, but one that stands out the most is Taliese Fuaga. He is a tackle coming out of Oregon State and has a lot of starting experience. He has started at right tackle since 2022 and has only gotten better with the more starts he received.
Pittsburgh would be crazy to not at least look closely at the right tackle position early on. Center could be a high priority if Mason Cole is cut, but right tackle should be high on the list especially if Okorafor is let go. Fuaga is a guy who has a lot of starting experience on the right side and is a realistic option to still be available by the time the Steelers pick in round one of the draft.
Another mid to late round QB option for the Steelers could be Spencer Rattler
Adding another quarterback option here as plenty will be present and playing at the Senior Bowl. Many quality quarterbacks have come out of the event in the past and the Steelers even saw Kenny Pickett play there a couple of years ago. Milton was mentioned earlier in the article and a couple of other mid to late-round options could also intrigue the Steelers.
Spencer Rattler is a name that could be interesting to many. His fall from grace was as quick during his time at Oklahoma. The hype around him as a prospect coming out of high school was real. He took over as the Oklahoma Sooners starter after Kyler Murray left for the NFL. Rattler had mixed results at Oklahoma and was eventually replaced as the starter by none other than Caleb Williams.
Rattler eventually transferred to South Carolina and remained their starter during his time there. He didn't produce earth shaking-numbers, but he was able to help make that program competitive again. He has a ton of starting experience as a starter coming into the NFL. That is a positive, but he hasn't put up great numbers since his first year starting at Oklahoma.
Rattler probably won't ever be a starter in the NFL, but he has all the physical tools besides his size, that every scout is looking for. Would be a nice get in the middle rounds of the upcoming draft for the Steelers to develop behind the two quarterbacks going for the starting job. Rattler could make his way into the day two conversation if he has a great week at the Senior Bowl.
Jacob Cowing could be a superb slot receiver option in the upcoming NFL Draft
Receiver might not seem like a need right now for Pittsburgh, but it probably will be come draft time. We know the Steelers have a good track record of drafting at the position, and they will need to continue that trend with this draft class. They don't need an outside receiver option unless they opt to trade Diontae Johnson and George Pickens for an unknown reason.
One name to watch during the Senior Bowl is Jacob Cowing. He is smaller in stature, so many have projected him to start in the slot at the next level. That is tremendous news for black and gold as they have been trying to find an effective solution there for years. It seems like there are going to be massive changes in the position yet again.
Allen Robinson II was a decent blocker, but he didn't produce enough. The Steelers will save a ton of cap space if they cut him, and that seems like the logical choice to make. Calvin Austin III has not been great during his first healthy season. He did some nice things in the return game but didn't do much on the offensive side of the ball.
Cowing is someone who has always produced quality numbers during his college career. He started at UTEP before transferring over to Arizona for his final two years. Separation is key in the NFL and Cowing can do that once he gets past defensive backs. He should be able to test well at the combine. The Steelers will likely show interest in day two or day three draft prospects at this position and Cowing is a great prospect.