Luke Fortner selected 65th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars

Kentucky+Wildcats+guard+Luke+Fortner+%2879%29+comforts+wide+receiver+Lynn+Bowden+Jr.+%281%29+after+Bowden+throws+an+interception+during+the+game+against+Louisville+on+Saturday%2C+Nov.+24%2C+2018%2C+at+Cardinal+Stadium+in+Louisville%2C+Kentucky.+Kentucky+defeated+Louisville+56-10.+Photo+by+Jordan+Prather+%7C+Staff

Kentucky Wildcats guard Luke Fortner (79) comforts wide receiver Lynn Bowden Jr. (1) after Bowden throws an interception during the game against Louisville on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018, at Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. Kentucky defeated Louisville 56-10. Photo by Jordan Prather | Staff

Hunter Shelton

After 55 career games and 36 consecutive starts for Kentucky, offensive lineman Luke Fortner is headed to the NFL. The Sylvania, Ohio native has been selected 65th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Fortner was apart of six seasons in Lexington, playing from 2016-21. 

The member of the “Big Blue Wall” played both guard and center during his time at Kentucky, a versatile member of the O-line unit. 

In his final year as a Wildcat, he earned Second Team All-SEC honors in his lone season at center, switching over from guard, where he began his UK career playing. 

Fortner’s 6-foot-4, 307-pound frame helped earn the lineman a 6.24 prospect grade from NFL.com, tagging him as an “eventual average starter.” 

He is the third Wildcat to be selected in the draft, joining Wan’Dale Robinson and Josh Paschal, both of whom were taken in the second round.