The Jacksonville Jaguars spared no expense to beef up the offensive line in the offseason. They added a couple of starters and depth in free agency. The front office later invested a couple of picks in the NFL Draft. USC head coach Lincoln Riley has a glowing review of the one he worked with.
Riley made an appearance on 1010 XL and had nothing but praise for Jonah Monhein, highlighting his football IQ, leadership skills and versatility to play different positions.
"Well, Jacksonville still just got a heck of a player. And frankly, I think he was just massively underdrafted. In my opinion, this guy is probably the smartest offensive lineman that I've ever worked with at any of the stops," Riley told 1010 XL host Ryan Hacker. "His mind for the game, his ability to process and understand schemes and defenses, and adjustments. And it's, it's incredibly impressive. The ability to play... start at all three levels of an offensive line, at tackle, at right guard, at center. He started at left tackle as well."
Riley continued, "You just rarely find guys that both mentally and physically can do that at a place, especially a place like USC, and so he just brings so much to the table there. The last thing is Jacksonville is getting an incredible leader. This is the kind of guy you want in your locker room. This is the kind of guy that wins, that kind that he just has that DNA and that way about him, and that work ethic and that humility that is going to lead to success. So everybody in Jacksonville is going to be very, very happy that Jonah Monheim is a Jaguar."
Later in the exchange, Riley calls Monheim not a home run, but a grand slam, bringing up his off-the charts intangibles and his admirable work ethic as some of the many reasons.
All things considered, that's some high praise for Monheim when you take into account that Riley coached All-Pro center Creed Humphrey at Oklahoma. Heck, you could even make the case that he's biased because he coached him at USC. That said, there are reasons to think the Jags did get a draft gem in Round 7.
The 221st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Monheim has a sawed-off, lean build and lacks top-end power. However, he's got the athleticism and football IQ to develop into a potential starter in the NFL. On top of that, the Moonpark, California native has only played center one season, so his ceiling at the position is significantly high. Below is the full exchange Riley had on 1010 XL.
Jonah Monheim can challenge Luke Fortner and work his way up the Jaguars depth chart
The Jaguars signed Robert Hainsey in free agency to start at center. Although he was benched in favor of then-rookie Graham Barton last year, he should be able to hold the fort in 2025. This is to say that Jonah Monheim probably won't have a shot at getting a starting job as a rookie, even if he had been a third or fourth-round pick. That said, he could most definitely challenge Luke Fortner for the primary backup role.
Fortner, a third-round pick in 2022, made 32 consecutive starts in Jacksonville. However, he struggled so badly that the front office brought in Mitch Morse to start at center last year. It's possible that the former Kentucky Wildcat improved behind Morse last year but probably didn't do enough to earn a starting role. Otherwise, Jacksonville wouldn't have signed Heinsay.
Couple that with the fact that Fortner is entering a contract year, and Monheim could challenge him for the backup job behind Heinsey. And given that second-stringers are always one injury away from stepping on the football field, he could get a chance if Heinsey has to miss time.
The bottom line is that it won't be easy but, Jonah Monheim most definitely has the tools to work his way up the Jaguars depth chart. His former college head coach believes he'll pull it off.