It wasn’t Jackson Powers-Johnson who the Steelers chose to meet with after Oregon’s Pro Day
The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently conducting their pre-draft visits, with each team permitted 30 visits from potential draftees along with unlimited local visits. As of now, the Steelers have announced 17 of their 30 visits, along with 4 local visits. Among these visits is one from an intriguing offensive lineman prospect named Steven Jones.
On March 12, Offensive Line Coach Pat Meyer attended Oregon’s Pro Day, likely to assess the highly regarded center prospect, Jackson Powers-Johnson. Interestingly, neither Head Coach Mike Tomlin nor General Manager Omar Khan were present at the Pro Day. It seems plausible that any players who impressed Meyer would subsequently be invited to Pittsburgh for further evaluation by the decision-makers. However, it’s worth noting that Powers-Johnson wasn’t extended an invitation, while Steven Jones was.
Steven Jones’s visit to the Steelers has brought attention to a relatively unknown prospect. Prior to the announcement of his visit, there was scarce information available about him. Researching for this article revealed a lack of data on him, with most mock draft websites not even listing him. However, he did appear on NFLmockdraftdatabase.com as the 371st overall prospect and the 38th interior offensive lineman prospect.
Since his visit to the Steelers was made public, Steven Jones has gained significant traction on the internet. Prior to this, almost no news results would appear when searching for him. It’s as if his visit to Pittsburgh has put him on the map in terms of online visibility.
What is known about Steven Jones is his impressive physical stature, as evidenced by his Pro Day measurements reported by USCAnnenbergMedia. He is described as “one mountain of a man,” with comparisons drawn to the size of 18-year-old offensive tackle Jason Peters.
- 6’5¼
- 342 Pounds
- 10 ¾ Hands
- 34⅝ Arms
- 84⅛ Wingspan
From the Oregon Ducks’ website goducks.com, we gather that Steven Jones earned AP All-Pac 12 first team honors in 2023 after starting all 14 games at right guard. Throughout his collegiate career, he demonstrated versatility by playing multiple positions, including left tackle, right tackle, and right guard. However, he settled into the right guard position exclusively during his junior and senior seasons. His junior year was marred by a Lisfranc injury that required surgery, causing him to miss eight games.
Having spent six years at Oregon, it’s reasonable to assume that Jones is an older prospect. However, due to the limited information available about him, his exact age remains uncertain. One site listed his birthdate as January 1, 1999, which would make him 25 years old. However, it’s worth noting that this same site inaccurately listed his height and weight, swapping them with another individual named Steven Jones who plays defensive back at Appalachian State University.
It seems that Steven Jones truly epitomizes the term “under-the-radar.” Despite the limited information available about him and his low ranking among mock draft sites, the Steelers’ interest suggests they see potential in him as a developmental prospect. His versatility, demonstrated by his ability to play multiple positions on the offensive line, including both guard and tackle, makes him an intriguing option for the team.
While his presumed age may raise some eyebrows for a developmental undrafted free agent (UDFA) prospect, it’s worth noting that players like Alejandro Villanueva have found success in the NFL despite entering the league at an older age. Villanueva, for example, was 27 when he played his first snap in the NFL. This suggests that age may not be a limiting factor for Jones, especially if he possesses the talent and potential to contribute effectively.
In essence, it appears that the Steelers view Jones as a low-risk, high-reward prospect—a “lottery ticket,” so to speak— who could potentially provide depth at guard with the added bonus of versatility to play tackle in the future.