Jaguars Draft: Ohio State center Luke Wypler
The Jacksonville Jaguars could get a guy who is the best at his position in the second round while filling a position of need
Trevor Lawrence was sacked 27 times last season, which is too much, even though it was good for the seventh-least amount in the league. The franchise guy doesn't need to get hit, point blank period. And the Jacksonville Jaguars have not made that a point of emphasis the last two seasons.
But, I will say, they are definitely getting better at it when you watch how often Lawrence is getting pressured. But, they still should target the offensive line in this upcoming draft.
One position they need more than any other is center, and with their second pick in the draft, they could get the best center in the draft in Luke Wypler.
Here is what Pro Football Focus thinks about Luke Wypler from Ohio State:
Wypler understands line-of-scrimmage play. He’s so good at establishing and re-establishing leverage. His game is what you’d expect from a fifth- or sixth-year player. Wypler doesn’t have an ideal frame to move to guard. He’s going to be a center at the next level. This isn’t too surprising considering he’s a third-year player declaring early. One can expect this to improve in the coming years, but it’ll likely still be an issue early on in his NFL career.
Wypler played just 15 snaps in 2020 but stepped in as Ohio State's starting center at the start of the 2021 season, making 13 starts in the middle of the offensive line for the Buckeyes. Over the course of that season, he didn't allow any sacks, with just one hit and seven hurries surrendered on 516 pass-blocking snaps. He retained his starting job for 2022, producing 80.0-plus PFF pass-blocking and run-blocking grades and allowing just one sack and seven hurries from 449 pass-blocking snaps.
In 29 career college games in the Big 10, Wypler allowed just one sack. At the center position, that is elite. Wypler is the 47th-ranked prospect in the draft, but the Jaguars could easily get him at 56, as not many teams above them need a center, and generally, centers don't go as high in the draft.
It would be interesting to see what the Jaguars do in terms of their need at center, but this wouldn't be a terrible pick, because Wypler is that good.
You can read the rest of Wypler's report by PFF here.
Featured Image Via Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
