WATCH: Luke Fortner announces 4th round pick for Jacksonville Jaguars

Luke Fortner was a third-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Kentucky product became a rookie starter at center for the AFC South franchise that won a division title and participated in two playoff games last season.

With former No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence running the show, head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke appear to have found their long-term answers at quarterback and center. Fortner is a critical piece for the Jaguars. On Saturday, Duval County’s team allowed the center to announce the team’s next draft pick.

Gainesville ➡️ Jacksonville@ventrell_miller | 📺: 2023 #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/4bW0pEyto3

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) April 29, 2023

Jaguars owner Shahid Khan also owns Fulgham F.C. in the English Premier League. In a cross-promotion between the two pro franchises, the Jags announced that Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller will stay in the Sunshine State.

After addressing offense with the first three picks, Miller has been added to the defense in Jacksonville following a six-year career in Gainesville that included 49 games, 33 starts, 1,692 snaps, 240 tackles, and 23.5 tackles for loss. Expect Miller to add depth in Jacksonville after this franchise spent a first-round pick on Devin Lloyd in last year’s draft at off-ball linebacker.

Expectations will be high for the Jags in the 2023 season. Luke Fortner will play a big role for an NFL organization on the rise.

KSR goes one-on-one with Luke Fortner

Earlier this month, KSR’s Nick Roush caught up with Luke Fortner at the third annual Schlarman Strong Golf Scramble. The former Kentucky center discussed everything from his time at Kentucky to making the transition to the NFL that ended with a crazy playoff win at home.

“It was awesome,” said Fortner. “We played a lot of 1 o’clock games this year and it gets pretty hot down there at 1 o’clock. Crowds aren’t always popping. But when you get those night games and it’s in the middle of winter in Jacksonville, people were out in full force and they were excited.”

The conversation touched on more topics than just his first season in the NFL. Fortner spent most of the offseason training in Lexington. The pro shared why so many former Wildcats are drawn back to Mark Stoops’ program and what he believes the future holds for the Big Blue Wall.

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