Luke Fortner won't be afforded a mulligan season in Jacksonville as he gets set to become the first rookie in Jaguars history to start at center in Week 1 of the regular season.
The only player that comes close to that feat was Luke Bowanko in 2014, who started at center during Week 3 of his rookie season.
Long-time Jaguars center Brad Meester began his career as a left guard in 2000. Brandon Linder began his career as a right guard in 2014. Linder retired earlier this year, paving the way for Fortner to be selected out of Kentucky and ultimately become — at least for now — the team's starter.
Since training camp began, Fortner has held down his role as the team's starting center, taking no time learning the team's playbook inside and out.
He has taken all of the first-team repetitions with quarterback Trevor Lawrence and didn't look overwhelmed with the duties during the three preseason contests in which he participated.
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His growth hasn't come as a surprise to Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson, though, and the team appears to feel validated in selecting him with the No. 65 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Even while Fortner went through some struggles during the latter portion of camp, Pederson remained unfazed.
"This guy is unbelievable," Pederson said. "I really like where he's at mentally. His thing is he's just got to process it, slow it down, slow the game down and just take one play at a time ... Sometimes you hear him coming off the field and just how he responds to the defense. He's like, 'Man, these guys are fast, they show up quick, you know, in your face.'
"He's sliding left and coming back and he's getting banged, but those are all things that you just work through. And he doesn't get discouraged. We're very encouraged by it. He's going to be a good player."
There won't be a closer duo in Jacksonville than that of second-year QB Lawrence and Fortner. The two will be intertwined from start to finish of each game played this year.
They have to be on the same page, and in the early going, have been.
Lawrence said Fortner has picked up the offense quickly. His progression from spring to now is "night and day,"
"Physically, the guy really good, too, he's not just smart, he's physically holding his own, playing really well," said Lawrence. "I'm excited to build on that every week. Obviously that relationship between me and him is really important. We'll be spending a lot of time together this season prepping for each opponent, just getting to know each other. That's a big relationship."
Though Lawrence, 22, is entering his second season in the NFL, Fortner is older — he's 24. Fortner's experience at the previous level is part of why he's already figured out most of his responsibilities in Jacksonville.
"He's directing traffic up front. I help, and I do what I can, and protection, we're all on the same page, we'll change calls, and he'll change some calls, and all that," Lawrence said. "We're all working together, but he's got to know it inside and out as well, and also when we communicate, it's got to be quick. You've got a play clock and all those things. We've just got to be on the same page, and I think we've done a great job at that so far."
Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor said Wednesday that both Lawrence and Fortner have operated well together. They've been stressed during blitz periods in practice, basically forcing the two to communicate with each other.
"They have to be speaking and saying the same things because there's going to be times where Luke Fortner needs to handle it for Trevor Lawrence, and times where Trevor Lawrence kind of has the trump card and sees something different, wants to go with it and Luke Fortner and him [Trevor Lawrence] are on the same page, ready to communicate that way," said Taylor.
"So, they've done a great job of getting there and, you know, the season will bring up all kinds of challenges with the unscouted looks you get on third downs, blitz packages, and things like that come up. They'll continue to work together through that."
There's no question Fortner has a tall task ahead. Mistakes are inevitable, but thus far in his tenure with Jacksonville, he hasn't made any.
According to Pro Football Focus, Fortner has not been responsible for any penalties in 88 snaps played through the preseason.
Since the Hall of Fame game against the Las Vegas Raiders , Fortner has accounted for a pass-blocking grade of 80.1 and 75.3 in games against the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively. He has yet to allow a sack, hit or hurry.
After practice last Thursday, Fortner said having played at Kentucky with Liam Coen, now with the Los Angeles Rams, as the team's offensive coordinator, he was able to pick up a lot of the vocabulary of the Jacksonville offense.
"That scheme he ran [has] a lot of similarities, a lot of the same plays and just different names," Fortner told the Florida Times-Union.
With Pederson coming from an offensive background, his presence during the team's practices has focused on that side of the football. That has helped Fortner, and the rest of the Jaguars, focus more on the details throughout practice, he said.
"I think him being present in practice all the time, focusing on the offense all the time, definitely makes people better and makes people work harder every day and focus on the details a little more every day," he said.
Playing with Lawrence has made things easier for Fortner, too. The quarterback is "super easy" to get along with, he said. That's something the two will need to continue working on as the season continues.
"Just after a month of being with him and working with him, it's definitely gotten cleaner, gotten smoother, more fluid," said Fortner. "Confidence-wise, I lean on my teammates, I know they're gonna have me prepared and [the] coaching staff will have me ready. So, I'm excited."
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @Demetrius82 .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars rookie center Luke Fortner ready for Week 1 start vs. Commanders
