Oregon Ducks C Jackson Powers-Johnson won the Rimington Trophy in 2023 before eventually declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite heavy competition at the center position, Powers-Johnson may have the profile needed to be the first center off the board in April.
Jackson Powers-Johnson Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’3″
- Weight: 320 pounds
- Position: Center
- School: Oregon
- Current Year: Junior
Powers-Johnson is a football player through and through. That much was made clear at the start of his career with Oregon when he joined the team as a four-star recruit.
As a true freshman in 2021, Powers-Johnson played in all 11 games. He provided depth on the offensive line and showed a willingness to help at defensive tackle when the team thinned out late in the year and played in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
In 2022, Powers-Johnson became a primary reserve on the offensive line, logging snaps at right guard, center, left guard, and right tackle. That season, however, wouldn’t come close to the dominance he put on display in 2023.
"There’s little disagreement that Jackson Powers-Johnson was the best offensive player in Mobile."#PFN365 @seniorbowl Offensive Player of the Week: @oregonfootball OL @BigJax58 🏈#GoDucks | #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/FMhciS8qll
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) February 3, 2024
Powers-Johnson became the Ducks’ full-time starting center in 2023 and ran away with the role. In a league that includes West Virginia’s Zach Frazier and Georgia’s Sedrick Van Pran, Powers-Johnson won the Rimington Trophy, which is given to the best center in college football.
Powers-Johnson’s sweeping success in 2023, as just a 20-year-old true junior, was extremely impressive. Even more impressive, though, is the tape he put on display for NFL evaluators, who hope to tab Powers-Johnson as their next foundational offensive lineman.
Powers-Johnson’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Sports a strong, dense, and well-leveraged frame with great mass.
- Quick accelerator both laterally and vertically.
- Nimble, lateral mobility, and stellar range.
- Elite power producer with a penchant for shocking attack punches and destruction.
- Can load overwhelming, explosive torque into his punches, which sends linemen lurching.
- Very proficient at loading his base into contact engagements and power exertions.
- Ability to exert menacing amounts of torque while latched and nullifying stunting rushers.
- Combined anchor and grip strength allow him to control blocks when properly latched.
- Possesses the flexibility to adjust angles in recovery and swivel around interior blocks.
- Possesses hand precision to target and nullify extensions while keeping his base.
- Has shown he can drag his outside hand before tightening to absorb power rushes.
- Able to roll his base back in phase and anchor against power, which limits displacement.
- Alert help blocker with active eyes, who consistently and patiently survey the front.
- Has the awareness to maintain discipline with positioning and depth against loopers.
- Recoils quickly at contact and stacks run blocks with effusive urgency and tenacity.
- Mauling presence in space with elite competitive physicality and finishing ability.
Weaknesses
- Length appears to be average at best, which can impact Powers-Johnson’s blocking range.
- Length limitations naturally make it more difficult to sustain anchors against longer defensive linemen.
- Sometimes plays a bit too upright when blocking laterally on zone runs.
- Occasionally comes off the snap without proper leverage, exposing himself to power.
- Sometimes lifts his feet out from under him when exerting power, losing balance.
- Doesn’t always have the elite flexibility to hinge around the front side of run plays.
- Sometimes prematurely flows to one side as a helper, which exposes opposite gaps.
- Sometimes slows his feet and plants his base too early in pass-protection reps.
- Can be late to decouple from combo blocks and shift to adjacent gaps.
- Adaptable with blocking angles on zone runs, but occasionally overshoots his path.
- Sometimes loosens his technique too much when traversing the line to help.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Powers-Johnson grades out as a top-50 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft on my board. He’s the best “pure center” prospect on my rankings, slightly edging out players like Frazier and Van Pran.
For teams in need of a long-term starter at center, Powers-Johnson is worthy of early Day 2 capital — at the very least. He could ultimately sneak into Round 1 because of his talent, physicality, and positional scarcity.
The 21-year-old already looks and feels like a high-level NFL starter at the fulcrum. His composite profile helped him win the Rimington Trophy in 2023, and that same profile should help him become an impact NFL starter early in his career.
At 6’3″, 320 pounds, Powers-Johnson is an explosive and nimble athlete in both the lateral and vertical modes. What’s even more impressive is his power load at that size.
Powers-Johnson doesn’t have elite length, but he’s still able to channel massive amounts of power and torque on his extensions, punches, and drive blocks.
MORE: 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
The Oregon Duck has athleticism, strength, and power in high quantities. Powers-Johnson melds it all together with great natural leverage, angle awareness, anticipatory positioning, and nail-eating physicality through reps.
Like most young players, Powers-Johnson still has room to improve — particularly with his leverage management working across-face and his timing in recovery on pass-protection reps. But overall, he has the tools to be a high-level starter at center with built-in scheme versatility.
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