Will Rackley could be key to Jaguars offensive line

The Jacksonville Jaguars offensive line is expected to be much better in the 2013 season and much of that is due to the addition of second overall pick Luke Joeckel, but the return of guard WIll Rackley could have just as much an impact.

The Jaguars originally drafted Rackley in the third-round of the 2011 NFL Draft and he struggled being put in the starting lineup right away, making the transition from playing at Lehigh to the NFL. Rackley struggled with the strength of interior NFL defensive lineman and ideally shouldn't have been inserted into the lineup immediately.

Last season Rackley was once again slated to start, but found himself on injured reserve before the season even started, which led to a revolving door at the left guard position before finally settling on undrafted rookie center Michael Brewster. Brewster wasn't great, but did well all things considered.

With two years in an NFL strength program, which was Rackley's biggest issue as a rookie, he could be just as much an upgrade on the line as Joeckel is. As big a problem as right tackle was for the Jaguars in 2012, the interior offensive line was just as much an issue. With a stronger, healthy Rackley and a healthy Uche Nwaneri on the interior plus the addition of Joeckel, the line could swiftly go from a liability to a strength.

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