Jackson Powers-Johnson Sparks Rumors of Landing With Bears

Getty Former Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson took a Top 30 visit with the Chicago Bears.

Jackson Powers-Johnson, the top center in the 2024 NFL draft class, has sparked rumors about potentially landing with the Chicago Bears after announcing his official pre-draft visit with the team in a recent post to his Instagram story.

Donning a pair of orange-and-blue eclipse glasses, Powers-Johnson posted a smiling selfie to his Instagram story (@bigjax54) on April 8 with a location-pin caption that read: “Chicago Bears Halas Hall.” His presence at the team’s facility also confirms that the Bears brought him in for an official Top 30 visit since the Oregon standout and Utah native is not eligible to take a local visit or attend their local prospect pro day.

Powers-Johnson is a potential first-round pick and the undisputed top center in the 2024 class after he gave up no sacks or quarterback hits over 829 offensive snaps at the position during his final year with the Ducks. He also finished as one of Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded interior linemen during the 2023 FBS season, earning an elite 90.6 pass-blocking grade and a comparable 85.6 run-blocking grade.

What’s intriguing about Chicago’s interest in Powers-Johnson, though, is when the Bears make their picks. They hold the first and ninth overall selections and then do not pick again until No. 75 early in the third round. Most projections have Powers-Johnson coming off the board during that range, and it would be unreasonable for them to draft a center — no matter how good he is — with either one of their two top-10 selections.

Could the Bears have other plans for targeting Powers-Johnson then?

Jackson Powers-Johnson Could Transform Bears OL

Powers-Johnson is a powerful, violent interior mauler who burst onto the scene in 2023 during his first full season as a starter. The 6-foot-3, 328-pound center dominated his Pac-12 competition, leading the Ducks with 37 total knockdowns and playing a key role in them having one of the best passing (first) and scoring (second) offenses in the FBS. By the end of the campaign, he had been named a unanimous All-American as well as the recipient of the Rimington Trophy award to the nation’s best center.

The tape also showed Powers-Johnson to be a relentless-effort type of blocker. He is just as willing to race to the second level to block a linebacker or defensive back as he is to throw down in the trenches with beefy pass rushers and run stuffers.

All of these things — and more — scream “Chicago Bear” to former starter Kyle Long.

“If you do attain the guy, you’re getting yourself a stud,” Long recently said about Powers-Johnson on the CHGO Bears Podcast.

“You’re getting somebody who can swab out that A gap in the run game, who is a real communicator in the pass game, a leader in that offensive line room. Obviously, the strength training is a priority for him. He looks fabulous. He’s never outclassed as it pertains to strength at the line of scrimmage. And I think his personality fits Chicago.”

Now, the Bears did make veteran additions to their center room during the offseason. They traded a fifth-round pick to Buffalo for Ryan Bates and then signed former Los Angeles Rams starter Coleman Shelton to a one-year contract to compete for the job.

That said, Powers-Johnson has the potential to be a long-term centerpiece for the Bears’ line alongside first-round right tackle Darnell Wright. Can they pass that up?

Bears Could Trade Up — Not Down — for Powers-Johnson

The Bears have a golden opportunity to get a blue-chip prospect with their No. 9 overall pick. One of the top wide receivers could fall to them at the spot. If not, they may find Notre Dame left tackle Joe Alt or their favorite pass rushers still on the board. They also do not know when they will next have a chance to make another top-10 pick, adding more incentive for them to use it instead of trading back further into the first round.

What if the Bears view Powers-Johnson as a trade-up target instead, though?

Rather than thinking about Powers-Johnson as a late first-round talent, the Bears might be curious to see whether he falls out of the first and into the second. Chicago does not currently have a second-round pick, but that could change if the team is willing to trade up from No. 75 in the third round to get a specific prospect. They have little in the way of 2024 draft resources, but they do hold two second-rounders in 2025.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles has done more trading up than down in his first two drafts, but he did pull the trigger on a trade to move up from No. 61 to No. 56 (with a fourth-rounder included in the deal) to get cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in 2023. If Poles believes he is moving up for a difference-maker, it could be worth a high price.