Jackson Powers-Johnson was one of the top offensive line prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. So, the Las Vegas Raiders were fairly fortunate to land him in the second round at No. 44 overall.
Position versatility along the interior was one of Powers-Johnson's best assets coming into the league, and his first five NFL starts were at left guard. It's fair to say, however, that the long-term plan was for him to play center. This is where he lined up the most in college, and he won the Rimington Trophy, given annually to the nation's best center.
But the idea of having the best five offensive linemen on the field pushed him out to a position he actually barely played at Oregon. Powers-Johnson was going to have to wait until at least his second season to take over as the Raiders' center, but fate intervened.
Jackson Powers-Johnson reveals how he became Raiders' center
In Week 8 last season, starting center Andre James went down with an injury against the Kansas City Chiefs. Powers-Johnson told the story of how he stepped into the center role on Tuesday's episode of "The Rush With Maxx Crosby."
"The first time we played the Chiefs, Andre ended up going down, and they were gonna put someone else in at center who hadn't gotten snaps all week at it," Powers-Johnson said. "And I was just, I was irate, I was pissed."
The rookie then described how he took matters into his own hands with then-head coach Antonio Pierce.
"So they're trying to find someone to start the snap to Gardner (Minshew) at the time, and I'm like, nah, nah, (expletive) this," Powers-Johnson went on. "So I went up to AP and was like 'Coach, respectfully, I’m going to play (expletive) center. I won the Rimington. I can do this, and I don't care what you say. I'm going to go play center.'"
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Powers-Johnson finished that game against the Chiefs at center, and proceeded to start the next six contests there while James was sidelined. He moved back to left guard for the final three games of the season when James was healthy again, but James was released this offseason, paving the way back to center for Powers-Johnson.
During his appearance on Crosby's podcast, Powers-Johnson made it clear that center is his preferred position, and that the expectation is that's where he'll play there until further notice. He even introduced himself to Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty just that way.
This story paints an obvious picture. The Raiders had a determined young center on the roster, but Coach Pierce and his staff were unsure about playing him at a position where he is most qualified. That is why Pierce is now out of a job, and Powers-Johnson is the obvious starting center in Las Vegas this year.