Raiders' Pierce: Drafting Powers-Johnson Made For 'a Match Made in Heaven'

The Las Vegas Raiders added a key piece to their offensive line room when they selected guard Jackson Powers-Johnson in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The 2023 Rimington Award winner was one of the several 2024 Raiders draft selections who embodies the culture that Coach Antonio Pierce is protecting.

Pierce was quite pleased with the pick.

"I just love the film," Pierce told reporters on Friday. "I saw a guy that was gritty, that finished, that strained, that loved the physicality of the game. I saw a leader, I saw a winner, I saw a guy that just loves football. And you want that identity up front. You always look at teams, the best teams it ain't the skill position, right? You want those gritty guys like we've got on our D-line, you want that on the offensive line. And the more those bad boys we can bring in with Kolton Miller, [Thayer] Munford, and [Andre] James, that's going to be huge for us.

"But he has the attitude, man. I mean, talking to him on the phone was emotional even for me because of just how excited he was. And it was like, 'Damn, we got it right.' Maybe nobody else likes it, but we got it right because it's a match made in heaven."

Powers-Johnson primarily played center in his final season at Oregon, but the Raiders will use him as a guard.

"My first two years at Oregon were at guard and so I'm just excited," Powers-Johnson told media members after he was drafted. "Anywhere that the Raiders want me to play, I'm going to play. If they want me to throw the ball, I'll throw the ball. But I really think me playing center is going to be seamless and it's just kind of a testament to all the coaches I've had in Oregon and in high school."

Powers-Johnson was the Raiders' second of eight draft picks in this year's draft. He comes off a tremendous career at Oregon and is now ready to take on the league.

He and the rest of the Raiders rookies will be back on the field for another day of rookie minicamp on Saturday.

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