While catching up with former Pittsburgh Steelers draft crushes isn’t for everyone, the team is known to try and bring in players that they once coveted. This seems especially true when given rare opportunities to land them on their rookie deals.
It appears that a perfect opportunity may be brewing in Las Vegas for the Steelers to acquire one of their former draft interests.
Jackson Powers-Johnson should be a name that is familiar to even some casual Steelers fans. Two drafts ago, all eyes were on finding a solution at the center spot. Powers-Johnson was heavily linked to the team along with Graham Barton and Zach Frazier. Some even mocked Powers-Johnson to the Steelers in the first round.
Instead, he heard his name get called early on day two by the Raiders. As a rookie, he looked the part of his college profile. Big, athletic, aggressive, but pretty sloppy with his technique. That said, it was a forgone conclusion that he would be the starting center for the foreseeable future.
That hasn’t played out. Pete Carroll took over and gave the starting center job to former undrafted free agent Jordan Meredith. No big deal, as Powers-Johnson can play guard.
However, after missing week two with a concussion, he was benched in favor of veteran Alex Cappa. This has left fans in an uproar, and Carroll has done little to quench that frustration, calling the right guard job an open battle between the two players.
The Raiders may look to move on from Jackson Powers-Johnson, and the Pittsburgh Steelers should be calling
While rare, new regimes can quickly shake up their roster. We saw the Patriots trade 2024 second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk to the Saints for a bag of peanuts because he didn’t fit what the new coaching staff wanted.
While Powers-Johnson will likely cost more than a bag of peanuts, he would be a worthwhile addition if he has fallen out of favor with the Carroll-led Raiders.
I’m not the only one who thinks so, as Bleacher Report listed him on their weekly trade big board, which highlights potential trade targets before the deadline.
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While there isn’t an immediate need for Powers-Johnson, acquiring him makes too much sense for the long term. Isaac Seumalo is likely playing his final season in Pittsburgh, and a replacement will be needed next year. Considering how hot the guard market has been, you are likely drafting someone.
Instead, you could have a young, cheap, and potential-laden option waiting in the wings. For a team that is likely to have a rookie quarterback next year, that is a huge plus.
Let’s also not act like Mason McCormick has lit the world on fire. He has been fine, but certainly not a supreme starter by any means. Powers-Johnson could push him while providing depth along the interior instantly.
Bleacher Report says a conditional fourth-round pick seems like fair value, and if I were Omar Khan, I would jump at that. I get the desire to keep draft capital for next year, but you aren’t getting a prospect like Powers-Johnson with a pick that late.
Having the opportunity to pair two of your top three interior linemen prospects from just one season ago next to each other would be a massive coup for the team. Assuming Powers-Johnson can pick up where he left off in Pittsburgh, this is a no-brainer trade to make.