Luke Fortner NFL Draft Overview
Position: Center
Height: 6′-4″
Weight: 307 pounds
School: Kentucky
Luke Fortner 2022 NFL Draft Profile
After spending six seasons at the college level, interior offensive lineman Luke Fortner is officially set to enter the professional level via the 2022 NFL Draft. Fortner is coming off of what is easily the best season of his collegiate career. Playing center for the first time, the Kentucky product finished the year allowing just two sacks, one hit, and two hurries in 848 offensive snaps.
Fortner originally entered the college football ranks as a three-star recruit. Signing with Kentucky as part of the 2016 class, the Ohio native finally earned a starting job in 2019. Splitting time between left and right guard, Fortner allowed one sack, three hits, and two hurries on 646 snaps. Fortner again played both guard positions in 2020, allowing two sacks and seven hurries on 538 snaps.
Strengths
- Best at center, but has versatility to play all three interior spots;
- Great play strength with ability to push back linemen as a run blocker;
- Plays through the whistle, engaging his man the entire time;
- Smart player that can diagnose stunts and stay with his man;
- Responsible for calling protections – further demonstrates intelligence;
- Reportedly a great leader and locker room presence.
Weaknesses
- Not a good fit for zone blocking scheme – struggles in space;
- Not a rangy player – shouldn’t be used on pulls or screen blocking;
- Will be 24 in September and took a while to break out in college;
- Struggles against twist moves – needs counter for elaborate rushes;
- Tendency to miss his assignment in the second level of run blocks.
NFL Comparison: Connor McGovern
Teams With Need at Position: Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals
Projection: Rounds 3-4
Bottom Line on Luke Fortner
Luke Fortner isn’t the most exciting player in the world, and he’ll never be a superstar. That being said, he’s the type of underappreciated depth player that helps turn top-heavy rosters into well-balanced ones. Fortner will probably start his career on the bench, and the most important trait any depth option can have is positional versatility. While he’s at his best snapping the ball, the Kentucky product played all three interior positions in college and could fill in at any of them in a moments notice.
When actually on the field, Fortner can be an absolute menace when playing close to the line. The Ohio native has NFL strength with the ability to push back interior defensive linemen and open gaping run lanes. Additionally, he’ll play through the whistle and never let his man disengage when he’s got a good grip on him. Fortner also appears to be one of the more intelligent players at his position, as he already has experience calling out protections and can identify stunts a mile away. There is no way to verify this on tape, but reports also claim that he is a great locker room guy.
Fortner can fill in at any interior spot, but there is a reason why he’ll probably won’t turn into anything more than a serviceable starter. Fortner is great when lined up right over somebody, but he struggles whenever he has to move around. Whether it’s engaging linebackers on the second level or finding someone to block on a screen, Fortner simply doesn’t have the footwork to get to where he needs to be in an efficient manner. Additionally, the fact that he’s already 24 is worrisome, as it means he doesn’t have much time to grow – he’s more or less a finished product at that age. On top of that, the fact he didn’t truly break out until his age-23 season implies that he might not be as good as he looks and merely got to where he is today by dominating younger competition.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
