As Ryan Poles continues to build the roster, one position in dire need of an upgrade is the middle of the offensive line. Last season, no fewer than four players took a shot. None were successful. Cody Whitehair was so bad early in the year he stayed on the sideline when Lucas Patrick was injured.
Fans were disappointed when Ryan Poles did not address the center position in last year’s draft. He chose a better option when he drafted Darnell Wright. Wright stepped in and had an excellent season. Yes, he made some rookie mistakes but held his own all season.
This year it is imperative the center position needs to be a focus.
One center that has drawn a lot of attention is Jackson Powers-Johnson from Oregon. JPJ declared for the draft after his Junior season. As a sophomore, he played mainly at guard. He moved to center for the 2023 season and won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center.
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Powers-Johnson only allowed one pressure in over 470 pass attempts. His pass-blocking grade (91.3), run-blocking grade (85.3), and overall rating of 84.6 were the best marks by a center per Pro Football Focus. He was a first-team AP All-American.
Other centers available in the 2024 draft are:
Zach Frazier, Sedric Van Pran, Matthew Lee, and Graham Barton.
Don’t be surprised to hear one of those names called during the draft. Ryan Poles has been very targeted in his roster-building. The center position must be addressed this off-season.
Recouping a decent 2nd round pick for Fields or even Pittsburgh’s at #20 would be the perfect spots to take him. The Bears need to select him or Frazier without question…
Rookie, Veteran, Rookie, Veteran… I WANT BOTH. Not sure how it shakes out as far as who we get (*though I don’t want Connor Williams) but I DO know that Nobody who played center for this team last year should be on it in 2024.
I wouldnt mind seeing the Bears consider JPJ but hes going early in rd 2. Bears have no pick in that range currently , unless Poles acquires one. Most of the mocks Im looking at, are suggesting they’ll end up drafting Van Pran in rd 3. Im meh about him. Barton played mostly as a OG in college. I have no opinion on Frazier or Lee.
I’d love to be able to comment on whatever article I want but for some reason I’m censored I can rarely get into an article. However, we’re gonna talk about FA centers and I have read the next article. Why is there? No mention of Tyler Biadasz? I feel that he probably won’t get a decent offer from the Cowboys, nor will he get tagged because the Cowboys have too many outgoing FA’s that need ti be tagged. I think the Bears need to monitor his situation and definitely give him some consideration. Michael, it would be nice if you… Read more »
Stay tuned. Going through FA Centers in the next article