Luke Tobias Joeckel (; born November 6, 1991) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
offensive lineman
In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...
. He was drafted by the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
second overall in the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
, starting all 37 games at left tackle from 2010 to 2012. In his final year, he won the
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Ame ...
, awarded to the nation's top college football interior lineman, and was named a
unanimous All-American
The College Football All-America Team is an honorific college football all-star team compiled after each NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season to recognize that season's most outstanding performers at their respective positions. ...
. He was also a member of the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
.
Early years
A native of
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
, Joeckel attended
Arlington High School, where he was an All-State offensive lineman for the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
team. As a senior, he anchored an offensive line that averaged just under 475 yards per game in the 2009 season. His twin brother, Matt, played quarterback for Arlington. His older brother, David, played offensive lineman at
DePauw Pauw (Dutch for "peacock"), de Pauw or DePauw are variants of a Dutch or Flemish surname and may refer to:
People
;Pauw
* Adriaan Pauw (1585–1653), Dutch Grand Pensionary of Holland
*Jacques Pauw, South African investigative journalist
* Michiel ...
. Joeckel's father, David, now a trial lawyer in
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
, was a four-year letterman and three-year starter as an offensive lineman at
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
(teammates with
Joe Walter), under coaches
Rex Dockery
Rex may refer to:
* Rex (title) (Latin: king, ruler, monarch), a royal title
** King of Rome (Latin: Rex Romae), chief magistrate of the Roman Kingdom
People
* Rex (given name), for people with the given name
* Rex (surname), for people with ...
and
Jerry Moore, 1979–1982.
His grandfather, Reece Washington, played tight end for Texas Tech.
In
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
, Joeckel competed in the throwing events. He had top-throws of 13.10 meters (42 ft 11 in) in the
shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
and 34.44 meters (112 ft 7 in) in the
discus throw
The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disk (mathematics), disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an classical antiqui ...
.
Regarded as a four-star recruit by
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
, Joeckel was listed as the No. 5 offensive tackle prospect of the class of 2010, behind only
Seantrel Henderson,
Rob Crisp, Shon Coleman, and
James Hurst. Despite growing up as a
Red Raiders fan, Joeckel chose Texas A&M over Texas Tech. He also had offers from
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
,
Louisiana State
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisian ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
, and
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, among others.
College career
Joeckel attended
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
, where he played for the
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football program represents Texas A&M University in the sport of American football. The Aggies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Western Divisio ...
team from 2010 to 2012. He enrolled in January 2010, and went through the Aggies' spring drills. As a
true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
in 2010, Joeckel started all 13 games at left tackle. The Aggies averaged over 165.8 rushing yards per game and featured a 100-yard rusher in nine games, six of which belong to
Cyrus Gray
Cyrus Danall Gray (born November 18, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football at Texas A&M University. Gray was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He also had brief sti ...
. Joeckel earned Freshman All-American honors by the
Football Writers Association of America
The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...
and
Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
.
As a sophomore in 2011, Joeckel started all 13 games again and was a second-team All-
Big 12
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...
noselection. He was part of an Aggies offensive front that allowed just nine sacks in 13 games and set school records for total (490.2 yards per game), passing (291.1 yards), and scoring (39.1 points) offense.
As a junior in 2012, Joeckel started all 13 games at left tackle, protecting freshman quarterback
Johnny Manziel
Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a mem ...
's blind side as he went on to pass for 3,706 yards over the season, earning him
Heisman
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...
,
Manning
Manning (a.k.a. Mannion, Manning) is a family name.
Origin and meaning
Manning is from an old Norse word — manningi — meaning a brave or valiant man; and one of the first forms of the name was Mannin; another cartography was Mannyg ...
, and
O'Brien honors. Joeckel himself won the
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Ame ...
, awarded to the nation's top college football interior lineman, and was named a consensus
All-American.
NFL scouts praised his performance against
Louisiana State's talented defensive line, in which Joeckel matched-up well against defensive end
Sam Montgomery
Sidney Sammual Montgomery (born May 25, 1990) is a former American football defensive end. He previously played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and before that the National Football League (NFL), into which he was drafted by the Houston Texa ...
. “I think he is better than
Joe Thomas and
Matt Kalil
Matthew Francis Kalil (born July 6, 1989) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings fourth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Carolina Pan ...
,” one NFL general manager said according to ''
Pro Football Weekly
''Pro Football Weekly'' (sometimes shortened to ''PFW'') is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, and website that covers the National Football League (NFL). It was owned by Pro Football Weekly LLC and headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinoi ...
''.
Joeckel played alongside future Atlanta Falcon
Jake Matthews, who played right tackle from 2010–2012. When Joeckel left Texas A&M, Matthews switched to left tackle in 2013. In September 2013, after an NFL.com writer asked five NFL executives who was the better player between Matthews and Joeckel, three of the executives said Joeckel.
Professional career
By midseason, Joeckel was projected as a Top 10 selection in the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...
by ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
''. Ranking him #1 on their "Big Board", ''
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...
'' projected Joeckel as the first offensive tackle to be selected with the first overall draft pick since
Jake Long in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. On January 8, 2013, Joeckel announced his decision to forgo his final year of eligibility. According to ''
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W 5 ...
'', Joeckel lacks the "natural tools" of the
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
fourth overall pick
Matt Kalil
Matthew Francis Kalil (born July 6, 1989) is a former American football offensive tackle. He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings fourth overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Carolina Pan ...
, but "is considered the more polished lineman out of the college ranks."
NFL.com
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
analysts
Gil Brandt
Gil Brandt (born March 4, 1932) is an American former football executive who was the vice president of player personnel in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1988. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsi ...
,
Brian Billick
Brian Harold Billick (born February 28, 1954) is an American former American football, football coach and commentator. He was the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings from 1994 to 1998; the team broke the National Football League, NF ...
,
Scott Pioli
Scott Pioli (born March 31, 1965) is an American football executive who most recently worked as the Assistant General Manager for the Atlanta Falcons. He was an NFL analyst for NBC Sports' '' Football Night in America'', NBC Sports Network's Pro ...
, and
Charles Davis predicted that Joeckel would be the No. 1 pick. In late January, ''Sports Illustrated'' also projected Joeckel to be the No. 1 selection.
After the combine, ''Sports Illustrated'' still projected Joeckel to be the first player selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. In March 2013, Pat Kirwan of
CBSSports.com, projected Joeckel to be selected fourth overall, by the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
.
A week before the draft, the Chiefs were believed to take an offensive tackle at No. 1,
after having traded for quarterback
Alex Smith
Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he received first-team All-American honors and won the 20 ...
. Their decision reportedly came down to Joeckel and
Eric Fisher.
The Chiefs selected Fisher, allowing Joeckel to fall to the Jaguars, who selected him second overall. Joeckel stated that his immediate reaction to not being selected first overall was "not the most pleasant thing ever," though added that he has used it as motivation. Joeckel became the first Aggie offensive lineman selected in the first round since
Richmond Webb
Richmond Jewel Webb (born January 11, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) with the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Bengals. Webb played college football ...
went ninth overall to the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
in
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Despite playing at the
left tackle
Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...
position during his college years, Joeckel began his professional career at
right tackle
Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, ...
. Joeckel signed a four-year contract with the Jaguars on June 22, 2013 that included a $13.8 million signing bonus and was worth approximately $21 million. After the Jaguars traded left tackle
Eugene Monroe
Eugene Christopher Monroe (born April 18, 1987) is a former American football offensive tackle who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Selected eighth overall in the 2009 NFL draft, he spent the early years of his pro ca ...
to the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
on October 1, 2013, Joeckel returned to his natural position on the left side. Joeckel's rookie season became short-lived as he played in only five games due to sustaining an ankle injury the next Sunday against the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
, when Rams defensive tackle
Kendall Langford rolled up Joeckel’s leg. Later that day, it was announced he would miss the remainder of the season. He was placed on injured reserve on October 8.
Joeckel entered his second season having recovered from the injury during his rookie season.
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
viewed him as one of the worst offensive tackles in the NFL in 2014 and held him responsible for eight quarterback sacks. In the 2014 season, Joeckel started all 16 games at left tackle.
In the 2015 season, Joeckel started 14 games at the left tackle position.
On May 2, 2016, it was announced that the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
would not pick up the fifth-year option on Joeckel's contract. On August 30, 2016,
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
coach
Gus Bradley
Paul Casey "Gus" Bradley (born July 5, 1966) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seah ...
announced that Joeckel would switch to the left guard position while the newly acquired free agent
Kelvin Beachum
Kelvin Lee Beachum Jr. (born June 8, 1989) is an American football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seven ...
took over at left tackle.
Joeckel was placed on injured reserve on October 4, 2016 following knee surgery.
Overall, Joeckel started 35 games at left tackle from 2013–2015, and four games at left guard in 2016.
Seattle Seahawks
On March 11, 2017, Joeckel signed a one-year contract with the
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
.
He started 11 games at left guard for the Seahawks in 2017.
References
External links
Seattle Seahawks bioJacksonville Jaguars bioTexas A&M Aggies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joeckel, Luke
1991 births
Living people
Players of American football from Texas
Sportspeople from Arlington, Texas
All-American college football players
American football offensive guards
American football offensive tackles
Texas A&M Aggies football players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Seattle Seahawks players