When you land the best player at his position in the draft class midway through the second round, there’s a good chance you’re going to get a pretty good draft grade.
That’s exactly what the Las Vegas Raiders did on Friday night, selecting Oregon Ducks center Jackson Powers-Johnson with the No. 44 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
After the NFL combine and the Oregon Ducks pro day, Powers-Johnson was widely considered to be a first-round draft pick, rated as the No. 1 center in the class and arguably the No. 1 interior offensive lineman. The fact the Raiders were able to get him this late in the draft led USA TODAY’s Touchdown Wire to give Las Vegas an A-plus grade.
The Raiders haven’t had a franchise-level center in a while, and while it’s too early to say that Jackson Powers-Johnson has the grit to match Jim Otto and Dave Dalby, he’s certainly the best center (and the best interior lineman) in this class. Imagine a combination of phone-booth bricklayer and versatile athlete on the move, and that’s who Powers-Johnson is. The Raiders could move him to guard to take advantage of that skill on the move, but I’d keep him inside where he dominated the Pac-12.
Powers-Johnson was the second Duck taken: Quarterback Bo Nix went to the Denver Broncos with the No. 12 pick on Thursday night in the first round.
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