The Las Vegas Raiders made a key addition to their offensive line in Round 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft when they selected Oregon guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson at No. 44 overall.
Powers-Johnson has been billed as a center coming out but also played some guard in college, and that's where the Raiders envision him lining up in the NFL. Las Vegas even made sure to tell center Andre James that JPJ is not being drafted to take his spot.
In our starting offense projection for Las Vegas, we had Powers-Johnson starting at right guard, but he'll have stiff competition from veteran Cody Whitehair.
Let's learn a bit more about the Oregon product by taking a look at some scouting reports on him from before the draft.
Jackson Powers-Johnson scouting reports
Position rank: 2
Projection: Round 2
SUMMARY: A four-year starter at West Virginia, Frazier was the starting center in head coach Neal Brown’s balanced scheme, using both zone and gap principles. He put together an All-American resume (on and off the field) during his time in Morgantown, starting 37 consecutive games at center before his broken leg in the 20 23 regular-season finale. Frazier is a leverage-based blocker with the knee bend and grip strength expected of a four-time state champion high school wrestler (he won the genetic lottery for a center — his father’s side were football players and his mother’s side were wrestlers). At times, his hands get out in front and his feet are late to catch up, but he consistently finds a way to stay under control and finish. Overall, Frazier might not boast elite athleticism or length, but he is good enough in those areas and will win over NFL teams with his core strength, football IQ, competitive toughness and understanding of leverage. He projects as a quality NFL starting center the moment he is drafted.
Brandon Thorn, Bleacher Report
Position rank: 3
Projection: Late 1st, early 2nd round
Overall, Powers-Johnson is a young, inexperienced prospect who burst onto the scene this season as a first-time starter thanks to his elite blend of size, athletic ability, power and toughness that he used to dominate competition. He does have a few technical aspects of his game to clean up, but his physical traits and makeup should allow him to start right away at either center or guard without being dependent on scheme while providing Pro Bowl potential within his first contract.
Brentley Weissman, The Draft Network
Projection: Day 2
Jackson Powers-Johnson is an NFL-ready center who showcases the size, athleticism, and awareness to be an anchor on a team’s offensive line.
Strengths:
Athleticism
Hand use
Physical temperament
Concerns:
Quickness
Length
There just aren't many holes in Powers-Johnson's game, especially since he moved to center. He has complete positional versatility along the interior offensive line. He has a fire hydrant-like build with short arms and a barrel chest/belly, but that build makes him powerful.
He has the upper-body strength to bench press 300-pound defensive linemen and the density to anchor quickly and effectively. He is light on his feet for his size, can climb to the second level and has good balance from his wrestling days.
Powers-Johnson possesses starting-caliber traits (for both center and guard) for both zone or man/gap-blocking concepts. He is dominant enough at his position to be considered a top-20 talent.
Related: Grade for Powers-Johnson pick
