Jaguars C Luke Fortner has low-key successful rookie campaign

There’s an element of randomness to the NFL Draft, which is why scouts routinely miss on prospects in spite of all the work they put in. Conversely, there’s always a chance of finding a Day 1 starter in the middle and late rounds, which is what the Jacksonville Jaguars did when they drafted center Luke Fortner in the third round of last year’s draft.

Center was among the Jags’ top needs in last year’s draft. Brandon Linder was among the top players at his position but struggled with injuries later in his career, which is why he called it quits last offseason. But even if Linder hadn’t retired, the Jags needed to find a long-term starter.

However, center wasn’t the only need on the Jacksonville roster entering the draft. For that reason they waited until the third round to take Fortner, passing on Tyler Linderbaum and Cam Jurgers in the process. In retrospect, the decision paid off, as Fortner went on to make 17 starts and didn’t miss a single offensive snap in 2022.

Luke Fortner may currently be the Jaguars best pick of the 2022  NFL draft

All things considered, Fortner is currently the Jags’ best pick of the 2022 draft when you take into account that he had an immediate impact. He had growing pains but that’s expected from first-year players making the transition to the pros.

Meanwhile, Travon Walker — drafted first overall — made the switch to outside linebacker full-time, which led to somewhat of a quiet rookie campaign. Devin Lloyd — 27th overall — got off to a hot start but eventually cooled down and was benched in favor of fellow linebacker Chad Muma, who was drafted five picks after Fortner.

This isn’t to say that Walker or Lloyd were bad picks. As a matter of fact, they both should improve in 2023. Simply, Fortner was a more consistent contributor last year.

General manager Trent Baalke met with the local media following the conclusion of the offseason. He talked about Fortner’s rookie campaign and said that he can be even better moving forward.

“What you saw is a guy that’s got a chance to have an outstanding career in the NFL”, Baalke said. “He’s highly competitive, he’s smart, he’s tough. He’s got the size, he’s got the skill set to be a very good player in this league for a long time”.

“To come into this league and play in the middle of the offense, play the center position with all that mentally has to go into playing that position and do as well as he did, it was a credit to him and the work that he puts in. He’s a pro’s pro at a very young age. I look at him as an old soul. I think the best is in front of him”.

Fortner became a mainstay of the Jaguars’ offensive line in 2022. He doesn’t get the same spotlight some of his teammates get but that shouldn’t take away how much of an impact he had in his rookie campaign.