How Rookie Center Luke Fortner Has Impressed the Jaguars So Far
The pads have yet to come on for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that hasn't stopped one rookie from making a considerable impression on his coaches. Even in shorts and helmets, No. 65 overall pick Luke Fortner has stood out this spring, impressing before his first training camp.
The Jaguars made Fortner their first offensive player drafted in April's draft, taking him with their first third-round selection and their third pick of the draft. After a draft where the Jaguars took just two offensive players compared to five defensive players, Fortner is far and away the Jaguars' most important rookie on offense.
“Luke’s done a great job. Again, Luke’s like those other guys, we put him in a couple of different roles to see how he thrives. Like we mentioned earlier, like [Head Coach] Coach [Doug Pederson] mentioned, it’s about finding the best five [offensive linemen] and whatever combination that is, whether that’s either guard spot, center spot," Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said at the end of OTAs.
The Jaguars made versatility an emphasis with each of their first four draft picks in April, and Fortner is no different. After starting at both guard and center for Kentucky, the Jaguars drafted Fortner with the idea of him playing center but also having the flexibility to slide to guard if needed.
Fortner, an All-SEC selection and team captain in 2021, appeared in eight games in 2017 after being redshirted in 2016. He appeared in 11 games as a backup again in 2018 before starting 13 games at right guard in 2019. He then started seven games at right guard and three at left guard in 2020 before moving to center and starting 13 games in 2021.
It is that versatility the Jaguars are hoping will pay off moving forward. After an offseason in which the Jaguars saw both of last year's Week 1's starting guards leave in free agency and starting center Brandon Linder retirement, the Jaguars needed to add to their interior depth.
"But he’s shown a good mental ability to handle a lot of things that we’ve thrown at him early as a rookie," Taylor said. "We’ll ask a lot of those guys on the interior whether it is center, whether it is guard, but he’s done a great job handling all that."
"He’s, as far as I can tell from that room and the environment that they’ve created in the offensive line room, he fits the culture, what they want. You want a lot of rookies to kind of come in, keep their mouth shut, learn a lot, prove themselves, and then you let their personality come out a little bit and I think all those guys have done a good job doing that.”
It is exactly that reason why Fortner has impressed the Jaguars so far. Yes, they like his versatility and athletic ability. Yes, they like his mental approach to the game. But they also have emphasized just how well Fortner has fit into the offensive line room after his first spring with them.
The Jaguars have had many of the same offensive linemen for the last several years despite the departures of Linder, A.J. Cann and Andrew Norwell. Cam Robinson, Ben Bartch, Tyler Shatley, Jawaan Taylor, and Will Richardson are all still in Jacksonville, while Walker Little is entering year two.
It is Shatley specifically who Fortner will learn from the most. The former undrafted free agent is the longest-tenured player on the roster and is expected to open the season as the Jaguars' starter at center while Fortner develops, with the option for either of the two to also compete at left guard with Bartch.
"I think they're extremely smart. I think that they understand what we're trying to get done," offensive line coach Phil Rauscher said at the end of OTAs.
"And the thing that's most impressive is they accepted Luke right now, and they accepted [undrafted rookie offensive lineman] Nick [Ford] right now. So they're helping each other out, which is good to see because that's what's important about an offensive line is the cohesion."
The question of whether the Jaguars trot out Fortner or Shatley at center in Week 1 and beyond isn't as important as the question of how much Fortner can learn from Shatley, who has nearly a decade of experience in the NFL. Shatley has the experience over Fortner, but the Jaguars know their rookie center has the talent to find the field eventually.
"And so Shatley, obviously has more experience, just like we talked about in games and whatnot. And Tyler's done a great job telling Luke 'Hey, that's not how that's gonna work, this is how,'" Rauscher said.
"And there's been times at practice that we've put them right next to each other to do things to see how that combination works itself out. And overall, those two guys our pro football players. I mean, and that may sound like 'oh, that's an obvious statement they are in the NFL', but like, they're pros. And Luke is a young guy, but he'll be a good professional football player. Tyler's been in the league for a while. He's a really good pro. And that's all you can ask from him."
