Luke Joeckel has long been considered the consensus No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the 2013 NFL Draft. While both Eric Fisher and Lane Johnson have closed the gap a great deal, this Texas A&M product is definitely going in the top five. He represents enourmous value anyhwere in the draft as a likely blind-side protector at the next level; something that is hard to come by. 

Here is eDraft's scouting report on the talented offensive tackle. 

Strengths

Athleticism: Joeckel is an athletic freak at the offensive tackle position. He will have absolutely no problem beating edge rushing to the outside and fending them off from getting to the quarterback. He stays light on his feet, which enables him to keep positioning against both interior and exterior pass rushers. What really sets Joeckel apart from the group is his abiltiy to get to the second level of his block and throw defenders backwards. This creates holes for running backs and leaves the pocket extremely smooth in the passing game. 

Scheme Specific: Whether Joeckel gets drafted into a zone-blocking scheme of the more basic offensive scheme in the NFL; he is going to excel. You won't see him struggle pulling to either side or getting into the second tier of the defense in the running game. Backs will be able to follow him any which-way on the field, which is a plus for some of the teams slotted to look at offensive tackle early in the draft; mainly the Kansas City Chiefs with Jamaal Charles. 

Pass Protection: Easily the best pass-protecting offensive tackle in the entire draft; Jockel is a day one starter on the blindside. His plus-technique and ability to move his feet, coupled with a greatly underrated amount of lower-body strength leads me to believe that Joeckel will make a Matt Kalil-type impact as a rookie. 

Intelligence: Joeckel can call the blocking audibles at the line, rarely finds himself confused with blocking assignmnets and fully understands the task ahead of him prior to the play. Considering that he was tasked with blocking different style quarterbacks with the Aggies, Joeckel will not struggle transitioning to any blocking scheme in the NFL. 

Weaknesses

Technique: As with any young offensive tackle; Joeckel will struggle with technique early. He gets caught flat footed at the point of contact, which enables strong defensive linemen to throw him off his space. Watching video of Joeckel, I came to the conclusion that he will have to fix these issues relatively early in his NFL career if he wants to be a consistent starter on day one. 

Strength: Not exactly a brute force out there; Joeckel relies a lot more on fundamentals and athleticism to ward opposing pass-rushers off. He is not a great straight-line dive blocker, which will hurt his quarterback against 3-4 defenses who utilzie larger defensive ends. He doesn't possess the best upper-body strength, which will lead to breakdowns in protection at times. 

Bottom Line

I am not ready to concede that Joeckel will be the first offensive tackle off the board. In fact, I am starting to lean towards Eric Fisher in this aspect. That being said, there is absolutely no reason to believe that Joeckel will not be a top-five pick next month. He has the fundamentals and athleticism to be a dominating force along the edge. If Joeckel does go to Kansas City, he would be a major upgrade over anything it has had over the last decade or so. Take that to the bank.