Seahawks 2024 Draft Profile: Jackson Powers-Johnson

Despite only having one year of starting experience under his belt in college, Jackson Powers-Johnson stands out as one of the top prospects in a loaded offensive line draft class, making him an intriguing target for the Seattle Seahawks.

Sep 16, 2023; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson (58) blocks / Craig Strobeck-USA TODAY Sports

With the 2024 NFL Draft set to kick off in Detroit on Thursday, April 25, the Seattle Seahawks will look to infuse their roster with young talent as they embark on a new era under coach Mike Macdonald, starting with the 16th overall pick in the first round.

Over the next month leading up to draft weekend, I will be dishing out in-depth profiles on numerous prospects who could be targets on Seattle's big board, including prospect background, strengths, weaknesses, and potential fit on Macdonald's squad.

Beginning this year's scouting series, Seattle desperately needs to find long-term starting solutions at both guard positions as well as center. Would keeping Oregon standout Jackson Powers-Johnson in the Pacific Northwest check off one of those boxes?

Background: A consensus four-star recruit and Under Armour All-American Game invitee coming out of Corner Canyon High School in Utah, Powers-Johnson had to wait for his opportunity to start joining a talented Oregon offensive line full of NFL talent. As a freshman in 2021, he played 131 snaps as a reserve before transitioning to the defensive line in the Alamo Bowl. The Ducks slid him back to offensive line as a sophomore and he saw an uptick in playing time, primarily playing right guard along with a handful of snaps at center, setting the stage for a breakout junior season. Allowing no sacks and shining as a run blocker in 13 starts, he garnered unanimous First-Team All-American honors and captured the Rimington Award as the nation's top center, becoming the first Pac-12 player to win the prestigious award before declaring as an early entrant for the NFL Draft.

Strengths: Weighing in at 328 pounds, Powers-Johnson takes advantage of his size and power as a run blocker in the trenches, consistently creating push off the line of scrimmage as an aggressive drive blocker to open up running lanes for backs. Excelling at redirecting defenders away from the runner's path, he regularly used his powerful upper body to seal defensive tackles and linebackers outside while preventing them from deploying counters to shed the block and always plays to the whistle, regularly putting himself in position to make blocks 10 or more yards downfield.

My favorite part of Jackson Powers-Johnson's game? I love the physicality he plays with to the whistle in run game. After executing an effective seal block off the snap vs. UW, watch him drive the nose tackle nearly 10 yards downfield after the back runs past him. pic.twitter.com/hnKhhK5hmT

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) April 2, 2024

Away from his sheer power and ability to toss around defenders at the point of attack, Powers-Johnson offers plus athletic traits that translate well to zone blocking schemes as well as pulling assignments and sweeps outside. Whether working off doubles or executing single reach blocks, he moves well out of his stance to land strikes on moving targets, including at the second level. While Oregon didn't pull him often as a center, he has the mobility and lateral quickness to get down the line and takes quality angles to get his hands onto linebackers, corners, and safeties downfield.

Jackson Powers-Johnson just casually tossing around a nose tackle and a blitzing linebacker like they weigh 50 pounds a piece. pic.twitter.com/o4SLq9NkJj

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) April 2, 2024

Allowing only one pressure all season long, Powers-Johnson offers a well-rounded skill set in pass protection, starting with powerful anchor and wide base that allows him to neutralize bull rushers and lock down faster interior rushers before transitioning to a counter. Light on his feet out of his pass set, opposing defenders rarely slipped past him due to his talents mirroring as a blocker. Savvy in terms of football IQ, he excels at picking up blitzers or defenders crashing inside on stunts to keep the quarterback protected when teams try to play games.

Weaknesses: Though his power at the point of attack is undeniable, playing with poor pad level and length limitations could be more problematic in the NFL for Powers-Johnson. With just 32 1/4-inch arms, he ran into issues at times with defenders getting hands into his frame before he could connect as a blocker, often resulting in him getting stood up and knocked off balance. These problems showed up occasionally in the run game as well, especially in instances where he was not as quick firing out of his stance off the snap.

Thanks to how quickly quarterback Bo Nix got the ball out of his hands and a scheme full of RPOs and quick passing concepts, Powers-Johnson rarely had to worry about athletic interior defenders having time to slip past him at Oregon. With that said, he had periodic issues with defenders beating him off the snap with quick first steps through gaps attacking his edges, which may be a bigger problem for him at the next level playing in a pro-style scheme requiring longer pass pro reps.

Nov 18, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson (58) / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Fit in Seattle: With only one season of starting experience at Oregon, Powers-Johnson will certainly endure growing pains if thrust into the lineup early, particularly in a pro-style offense that won't have near as many RPOs and quick screens on the menu. But despite the lack of playing time coming into the league and the subsequent projection scouts will have to make playing in a much different offense, he's a highly instinctive player who should be able to transition to the pros fairly quickly due to a polished set of skills, including proficiency as a run blocker both in zone and gap schemes.

Lacking experience at guard and center, the Seahawks have only one player at either position with more than one NFL start. Boasting prior experience playing multiple spots in the interior, Powers-Johnson's versatility coupled with a blend of feistiness, power, and athleticism would make him an ideal fit to target early as a foundational piece for the offensive line, likely with guard being his best fit in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's offense sliding next to Olu Oluwatimi and Anthony Bradford as a day one starter with Pro Bowl/All-Pro potential if developed properly.