Jackson Powers-Johnson scouting report: Exploring the Oregon interior offensive lineman's strengths and weaknesses

A four-star recruit in 2021, Jackson Powers-Johnson played 126 total snaps across the O-line as a true freshman before taking over the right guard gig (starting 12 of 13 games) as a sophomore. In 2023, he transitioned to the pivot and took his game to another level, earning first-team All-American accolades as a 13-game fixture in the middle.

Jackson Powers-Johnson scouting report

Run-blocking:

• Consistently rides D-linemen up through contact, as he’s latching onto them in the zone run game
• Keeps working down the line if his gap is unoccupied in that regard and makes linebackers run themselves into being blocked or pick up defenders coming his way on twists
• Does a great job of providing a helping hand as his eyes are on the second level of potential combos and provides just a little bump if he can, to make sure his teammates can secure the down-lineman
• Uses angles to his advantage expertly to create displacement on gap schemes
• IDs defensive fronts very well for just a two-year starter and adjusts those tracks out of his stance according to the width of alignments by guys at the line
• On vertical combos, Powers-Johnson’s is fundamentally sound and effective stepping with the same foot and shoulder
• Has a knack for providing force to the near-hip of D-tackles, as he’s trying to move them over to the opposite shoulder of the guard and allow himself to peel off as the backer makes his move
• Generally displays a strong upper body when he thrusts defenders slanting across his face further or torques guys to a side late, to open up a lane
• Covers a ton of ground and absolutely levels DBs in the screen game at times, while showing a good feel for when to peel back on guys in pursuit

Pass-protection:

• Finds the right balance between aggression in his initial approach and how he mirrors interior rushers
• Excels at creating bend in his knees, hips and ankles to stymie the charge of power rushers
• Frequently can neutralize rushers coming over his way on half-line slides by landing his hands underneath their rib cage from the side
• Recognizes his initial man hesitating as the eventual looper on twists and has the quick hands to overtake who slants into the A-gap
• Showcases active eyes and feet when unoccupied in protection, while looking to help out the other way on slide protections if nobody threatens his gap
• You regularly see him sling-shot blitzing linebackers trying to take a wider arc around him
• Didn’t surrender a single sack or QB hit and just one hurry on just under 500 pass-blocking snaps in 2023 – 99.9 efficiency
• Accounted for the best PFF run-blocking (85.2) and pass-blocking grades (90.6) among draft-eligible centers in 2023

Weaknesses:

• The consistency in snap placement needs work to not throw off the timing of plays
• His pad level and explosion into defensive linemen limit his effectiveness at creating initial momentum in the run game, particularly on down blocks
• You saw Power-Johnson be overly patient working up to the second level and look a little uncoordinated when trying to initiate contact as those linebackers make a sudden move around him
• Wasn’t put in a lot of isolated situations in the passing game and may struggle to neutralize aggressive bull-rushing nose-tackles with length (32-and-¼ inch arms)
• Tends to get pretty tall if he doesn’t initiate contact with defenders early in the passing game and runs the risk of getting bowled over by spiking rushers on games

This guy presents a burly build for a center at 330 pounds, but watching the tape, what stood out most was his blocking on the move. For just a 25-game starter, his ability to identify fronts, adjust his angles and feel for executing combos to their best effect was impressive.

However, he can certainly work on his ability to play with more sink in his hips, and he answered pretty much all my questions during Senior Bowl week, where he almost effortlessly both anchored against power rushers but also was able to mirror quickness and counter spins.

I will not be surprised if he ends up playing a decade for a team and is a highly valuable contributor to them because of the flexibility he provides. So I’d be fine with him anywhere from the middle of the first round onwards.

Grade: Mid- to late-first round