Luke Joeckel, taken with the No. 2 overall pick by the Jaguars during the NFL Draft, has agreed to terms on his rookie contract, according to the team website.
He’s expected to sign the deal on Saturday night and leave for the rookie symposium on Sunday. As Jacksonville's Florida Times-Union points out, the rookie salary cap calls for Joeckel to get a signing bonus of $13.799 million.
For most of the leadup to the draft, it was thought by many observers that the Chiefs would grab Joeckel as the No. 1 overall pick. But in the week or so before the draft began, word began to filter out that Kansas City would take Eric Fisher instead -- a decision that angered Joeckel. Yet, that’s what happened, leaving Jacksonville to take Joeckel.
Though he was a dominant left tackle at Texas A&M, Jacksonville already has Eugene Monroe for that spot on the roster, and the Jaguars moved Joeckel to right tackle. It took him a little while to get acclimated -- “It was different,” he said after his first practice. “My first step wasn’t as quick. It will be a work in progress.” -- but that didn’t stop him from learning quickly.
The AP called him “downright dominant” in offseason drills, and Joeckel said he was fine with his move to the right side.
"I want to get on the field," he said. "I want to help my team win football games, whatever position it might be. If they wanted me to go play guard, I'd go play guard. I definitely would love to be a left tackle in the future, but whatever gets me on the field is what I'd do."
New general manager Dave Caldwell said he wants to get his entire rookie class signed by the beginning of training camp, and finishing up with Joeckel is a big step toward achieving that goal.
