3 players the Jaguars could have taken instead of Luke Fortner in the 2022 NFL Draft

The Jacksonville Jaguars have, so far, gotten mixed results from their 2022 draft class. Travon Walker has made a leap in Year 2, registering nine sacks in 2023, while Devin Lloyd has turned into a mainstay at inside linebacker. Cornerbacks Montaric Brown and Gregory Junior have also seen extended time due to injuries to Tyson Campbell and Tre Herndon, respectively.

On the other hand, Jacksonville hasn't gotten much production out of their third-round picks, linebacker Chad Muma and Luke Fortner. The former has mostly seen playing time on special teams while the latter has stalled out after flashing in his rookie campaign.

Fortner, in particular, has been somewhat of a disappointment in his sophomore campaign. He was a Week 1 starter last year and went on to play every single snap on offense. However, he struggled in the running game.

Going into 2023, the Jaguars probably expected Fortner to improve, which is why they didn't make any additions to center in the offseason. Unfortunately, things didn't play out the way the team envisioned and the former Kentucky Wildcat has once again struggled as a run blocker. He's not faring much better in pass protection either, giving up three sacks and 27 total pressures.

The top brass may not be ready to give up on Fortner but it's fair to say that he hasn't lived up to expectations. In fact, it wouldn't be shocking to see them bolster the center position in the offseason. With the benefit of hindsight, Jacksonville might've been better off drafting any of the following three players instead of Fortner last year.