Film Room: Raiders got a steal in Jackson Powers-Johnson

Diving into the second-round pick’s game

The Las Vegas Raiders got a steal in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by selecting Oregon offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson. Many expected the former Duck to be a late-first- or early-second-round pick but the Raiders managed to get him 44th overall.

In addition to his draft projection, what makes Powers-Johnson such a high-value pick is he was elite last season. Among all FBS interior offensive linemen, he ranked second with an 85.6 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus and that was the top mark among centers specifically.

Also, the Oregon product allowed just one pressure on 471 opportunities to earn a 99.9 pass-block efficiency rating as both numbers led interior linemen with at least 100 snaps in pass protection.

That’s a big reason why Powers-Johnson is expected to be Las Vegas’ starting right guard next season, so let’s flip on the tape and see what he brings to the table.

Antonio Pierce has talked about getting back to a physical brand of football and Powers-Johnson said when he and the coach talked, Pierce is a fan of how mean and nasty he is in the trenches. The clip above is a good example of that.

Oregon is running duo which puts the center on a double team with the right guard against the defensive tackle who is playing a true 2-technique. Since the defender is head up on the guard and doesn’t have his eyes inside, Powers-Johnson knows he can catch the defender by surprise on the double team.

So, JPJ loads up and delivers a blow to not only widen the defensive tackle but also put him in the ground to send a message and establish physical dominance. The only problem is the defender went flying so far that he almost took out the right tackle’s knee.

On top of all that, Powers-Johnson continues to look for another block on the second level and makes sure that the linebacker doesn’t work over the top of him to make the play.

This is the same play-call as the last clip, duo, but Washington State adds one little wrinkle. The middle linebacker blitzes or crashes downhill shortly after the snap into the A-gap.

With the way Oregon has identified the defense’s front, Powers-Johnson is first responsible for making sure the 2-technique or right defensive tackle is taken care of on the double team and then work up to the linebacker. However, the backer crashing hard downhill can disrupt that timing.

So, Powers-Johnson does a good job of helping out the left guard by kicking the defensive tackle inside initially. Then, he quickly comes off the block and picks up the linebacker with some force to help create a cutback lane.

This is a great example of the second-round pick’s football IQ to recognize what the defense is doing, athleticism to redirect and be in a position to make the block, and his strength to knock the linebacker out of the gap. That leads to a great rep where he plays a significant hand in getting two defenders out of the way.

We’ll get a different play-call here with the Ducks running mid-zone. That means the center has to reach block or get to the outside of the 2i-technique defensive tackle, which is difficult because the pre-snap alignment puts the defender outside of him.

However, initial quickness is one of Powers-Johnson’s strengths as he gets out his stance quickly, which is hard to do at center since he has to snap the ball. Combing that with good footwork by using a bucket step to lose some ground vertically and his agility allows JPJ to get to the defender’s outside shoulder, effectively reaching the defender.

To finish, Powers-Johnson does an excellent job of keeping his feet moving and using his inside hand to control the defensive tackle and get several yards of displacement. The running back now has a nice cutback lane that would have gone for a bigger gain had the right guard held his block.

Even in pass protection, we can see Powers-Johnson’s nastiness show up.

Against this double A-gap look from the defense, the center turns left since the back is on the right to pick up the blitzing linebacker in the right A-gap. That puts Powers-Johnson on the other linebacker and once he gets his hands on the backer, his upper body strength comes into play.

It’s pretty much game over at that point as JPJ has the power to toss the backer into the ground. That gives the quarterback an open rushing lane to pick up the first down with his legs.

While Texas Tech does run a stunt, the linebacker doesn’t work wide into the left guard’s gap, and the defensive tackle loops around the center to the other A-gap that is already accounted for by the running back. So, Powers-Johnson is doing his job by staying attached to the backer instead of releasing and picking up the looper since the looper doesn’t enter his gap.

Something else that stands out about the former Duck’s game is his ability to block in space.

Here, Oregon runs a screen and he does a good job of getting to the correct spot with some pace while staying under control and not getting juked out by the defensive back. Notice how Powers-Johnson starts to throttle down about five yards or so before contact to make sure he can stay in front of the more athletic defender.

At the point of contact, he drops his pads for good leverage and lets his strength and power take over to send the defensive back flying. Also, this is a great example of him running his feet through contact to help finish the block.

An offensive lineman who can move and stay under control when blocking on the perimeter is a defensive back’s worst nightmare.

It’s a trick play this time but the result is pretty much the same as the last clip.

I’ll leave the breakdown to Powers-Johnson as he explained this rep — and mentioned he actually went off script here — on Brandon Thorn’s Trench Warfare podcast (see video below).

Again, JPJ’s combination of athletic ability and power makes him very dangerous when blocking in space. There aren’t a ton of offensive linemen who can block like this on the perimeter.