The Oregon center is a little green, but has an upside that is undeniable.
Over the next couple of weeks, leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft we will take a look at close to 30 prospects to know.
Within that, we will use the excellent work of Dane Brugler, who has just released his “The Beast” 2024 NFL Draft Guide. I highly recommend taking a peek and signing up for The Athletic if only to get Dane’s guide.
It is always an exhaustive work, and he should be commended.
With that said, we will go in order of Dane’s Big Board and use his final analysis as the wrap up of each prospect.
Next up is Dane’s 23rd ranked prospect, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and intriguing interior offensive line prospect from Oregon.
Dane’s Take:
A one-year starter at Oregon, Powers-Johnson emerged as a standout center this past season in offensive coordinator Will Stein’s zone -read, balanced attack. After filling in at guard his first two seasons, he won the starting center job in 2023 and became the fifth unanimous All-American in school history and first Pac-12 player to win the Rimington Award as the nation’s top center. A multi-sport athlete growing up, Powers-Johnson plays light on his feet in pass protection and as a run blocker, with the natural movement skills and stability at contact to torque and fend off defenders.
This is one of the red flags on JPJ, as he has only 16 career starts along the offensive line, and for those that follow along, we like those guys to be closer to 40. However, when he did start, he dominated, which is an important part of the evaluation as well.
With his contact balance and comp osure, he rarely appears overwhelmed on tape, although the defensive line play in the NFL is a giant leap ahead of what he saw in the Pac -12.
This goes back to the experience thing, how many NFL caliber defensive lineman did JPJ see while at Oregon?
Overall, Powers-Johnson’s inexperience is reflected in his technique, but he offers a fantastic combination of size, athleticism and toughness, with the skill set that translates to both center and guard. His game reminds me of Ryan Kelly, who won the Rimington Award at Alabama before becoming a first-round pick in 2016.
It almost seems like if you take JPJ you may need to redshirt him a year for him to get some more work under his belt, with spot starts and fill-in role, but he has all the markings of an excellent interior offensive line prospect, and both those things are what the Arizona Cardinals need.
Next up… Nate Wiggins.
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