The Jacksonville Jaguars traded the top pick of Day 2 (along with picks No. 106 and No. 180) to come up and select Devin Lloyd with the 27th overall pick. As a result, their fans had to sit through the whole second round as the team didn’t trade back up as they did on Day 1.
However, when they did return to the podium for pick No. 65, the team bolstered a unit many fans were hoping they would. That unit was the offensive line as the team selected Kentucky offensive lineman Luke Fortner.
Fortner gives the Jags a versatile interior offensive line option who can play both guard and center like Tyler Shatley. He took 1,181 snaps at guard and 848 snaps at center, with the latter position being the one he’s played most recently.
With Fortner and Shatley being as versatile as they are, they give the Jags flexibility of who their starters could be at the center and left guard spots. Ben Bartch can’t be ruled out either as the starting guard opposite Brandon Scherff.
The selection of Fortner is a wise one when considering Scherff’s injury history, too. While the veteran is one of the best guards in football, he hasn’t played more than 13 games in the last four seasons.
In NFL.com’s scouting report, they praised Fortner for his snap-to-step quickness, his hand placement, and body control, to name a few positives. As for the cons, they stated that he needs to work on not oversetting himself and his hand discipline could use some work, too.
