Since being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013, Lane Johnson has been one of the most dominant right tackles in the NFL... and the Jacksonville Jaguars could've had him if they had wanted to. Instead, they took Lucke Joeckel, which proved to be the wrong call right off the bat. Fast forward to 2025, and Johnson is still playing. Imagine if the Jags had chosen him instead of Joeckel. Just recently, the Pro Football Focus crew revisited the decision in a do-over.
Max Chadwick, Dalton Wasserman, and Trevor Sikkema of PFF redid the 2013 draft and had Jacksonville taking Johnson instead of Joeckel at No. 2, pointing out that he's still playing at a high level at 34.
"Johnson's production and consistency continue to impress into his mid-to-late 30s," the PFF staff wrote. "He has earned at least an 80.0 PFF overall grade in nine of his 12 NFL seasons. He set a career record at the age of 34 with an 88.9 mark in 2024 en route to a second Super Bowl victory with the Eagles."
PFF continued, "Johnson has also amazingly allowed just six sacks over the past six seasons, spanning nearly 3,000 pass-blocking snaps."
Just recently, Johnson claimed that he's close to his peak, pointing out that he's currently the healthiest he's been in years. While it may be a bit farfetched to say that he's entering his prime, the fact that he's entering his 13th NFL season and is still playing at a high level is nothing short of impressive.
During his career with the Eagles, Johnson has won two Super Bowl rings, made the Pro Bowl six times, and earned five All-Pro designations. Meanwhile, Joeckel has been out of football since 2017.
How would drafting Lane Johnson instead of Lucke Joeckel have impacted the Jaguars?
In 2013, the Jacksonville Jaguars hadn't given up on Blaine Gabbert yet. Moreover, that year's quarterback class wasn't particularly great. That left offensive tackle as their best option in the draft. Cameron Bradfield and Eugene Monroe were their starters on the edge the season prior.
After drafting Luke Joeckel, the Jags traded Monroe to the Ravens at the midpoint of the 2023 season, and Cameron Bradfield remained at right tackle. But if they had gone with Johnson, maybe they could've plugged in on the right side and kept Monroe at left tackle.
It's also worth noting that Joeckel fractured his ankle as a rookie, and while there's an element of randomness to injuries, Jacksonville's offensive line would've been in much better shape if they had kept Monroe, who still played three more seasons after being traded to Baltimore.
Now, imagine if the Jaguars had selected Johnson, they might've still taken Cam Robinson in the 2017 draft, but might have passed on Jawaan Taylor in 2019 if he were as dominant as he is in Philly.
By drafting Johnson, the Jags wouldn't have gone through journeymen Austin Pasztor and Jermey Parnell. Of course, there's an equal chance the former Oklahoma Sooner would have flopped in Jacksonville, like most of the first-round picks then-general manager Gene Smith made at the time.
Of course, there's not much use in dwelling in the past, but it's interesting to wonder how much different things might've been for the Jaguars in the 2010s if they had drafted Lane Johnson.
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