Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson – Photo by: USA Today One of the more intriguing prospects at the center position who will be available is Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson. Powers-Johnson is a large, barrel-chested, square man with strength and power for days. At 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds he bares much more resemblance to Ryan Jensen (6-foot-4, 319) then he does to Hainsey (6-foot-4, 306). Jackson-Powers’ carries his weight well as his overall frame is very square with good size through his hips and thighs. He earned the 2023 Rimington Award as the best center in all of college football. Powers-Johnson is a junior who started all 13 games in 2023 after playing in 14 games over the previous two years mostly as a guard. As a pass blocker he has allowed no sacks and just three pressures over 691 pass block snaps dating back to the beginning of 2022. Powers-Johnson’s pass block efficiency for both seasons has been north of 99% with PFF grades of 86.2 and 90.6. His run blocking has been almost as good with two-year grades hovering around 85.0. Jackson Powers-Johnson’s Best Traits No conversation regarding the young offensive lineman would be complete without discussing Jackson Powers-Johnson’s play strength. His large frame lends itself to strong drive blocks where he can use the full force of his body to move large humans trying to get by him. He compliments his strong core with heavy hands and once he locks onto a defensive lineman it is usually lights out for him. I am a huge fan of Jackson-Powers-Johnson and he’s probably the player I most want to see in a Steelers uniform.pic.twitter.com/ek5ZOs3epk https://t.co/bIaDcUqy9D — Nick Martin (@themicknartin) December 11, 2023 His strength isn’t just of the latch-and-hold variety. Powers-Johnson can create explosive power when needed as well. Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson taking on the blitzing ILB under way. Explosive punch to immediately re-route. pic.twitter.com/hBUBN2eETy — Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) December 25, 2023 But the part Bucs fans will enjoy the most is how he plays in space. Once Powers-Johnson has a head of steam, look out. He is going to find something to destroy moving through space like a comet in search of a celestial body to impact. #Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson Fun player to study over the past two weeks. Physical! Excellent run blocking center that can also make plays out in space. pic.twitter.com/VrkrRiaoS5 — Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) October 30, 2023 Jackson Powers-Johnson’s Limitations From my study on Jackson Powers-Johnson, the Oregon center is limited in his hip dexterity. I don’t expect him to test well in agility drills and I think this will limit his usage at the NFL level. While I highlighted above how he has stood out in space most of those high-end reps have him moving in a linear fashion downhill. Outside or wide zone schemes wouldn’t suit his skillset as well as a power-based blocking scheme. The Bucs offense is predicated on a mid-zone blocking scheme and offensive coordinator Dave Canales has adjusted to more one-gap looks of late, so Jackson-Powers could operate within the Bucs’ offense just fine. But the biggest opportunity I saw in my watches was with his balance. When he expects contact and when preparing for what is in front of him, he uses a squared off stance with a nice wide base to help him tap into his impressive core strength. But in doing so, Jackson-Powers is often not light enough in his feet to handle unexpected contact well. This often causes him to end up on the ground from small hits from his side and behind. It worries me just a little that this could lead to injuries down the line. Lastly, he has a penchant to rely too much on his generous power/strength combo. When paired with his tall frame this leads to him often losing the leverage battle against defensive linemen. It hasn’t burned him much at the college level because, as I said, he has the brute force to stone his opponent and overcome. But at the NFL level his strength will be less special, and he will need to develop his ability to consistently get low. Final Thoughts Other qualities that I liked about Jackson Powers-Johnson’s game is his awareness and willingness to find work. This endears him to his teammates and is a lunch-pail quality I like to look for in O-line prospects. Pair that with his finisher mentality that is reminiscent of Ryan Jensen, and you have a guy that is easy to root for. Most of his areas of opportunity can be learned and developed which means his ceiling is relatively high. I have a second-round grade on Powers-Johnson as the first official full draft profile of my 2024 NFL Draft research. So at the moment he is technically No. 1 on my board. The post 2024 NFL Draft Spotlight: Jackson Powers-Johnson appeared first on Pewter Report. Source: https://www.pewterreport.com/jackson-po ... nfl-draft/
