Grade the pick: Jaguars bomb No. 56 overall by taking a blocking tight end

With much speculation entering the day of a trade-up situation, the Jacksonville Jaguars waited.

And waited.

And waited.

James Gladstone hung tight to keep all of his third-round picks, letting some marquee Jaguars targets like Kayden McDonald, Derrick Moore, and Lee Hunter all slip off the board.

What followed was something that made all of the time I've spent evaluating draft options feel like a giant waste of time. Jacksonville selected Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher at No. 56 overall.

How — if possible — can Jags fans cope with the selection? Is the pick as bad as it seemed in the moment?

Grading the Jaguars' No. 56 selection: Texas A&M TE Nate Boerkircher

The only appropriate question? "Who?"

As a self-proclaimed draft analyst, my retort includes "what the" and profanity. Boerkircher was perhaps the single most stunning selection of the draft so far by any team. I think it's the worst pick I've ever seen a team make in the first two rounds:

My positional tight end board only went 10 players deep, but Boerkircher didn't sniff those rankings. He had just 19 catches for a Texas A&M team that, while having target competition, certainly could have used another hand in a pass-heavy attack.

Boerkircher's best work comes as a blocker on early downs. He's a mover who takes on defenders at the point of attack and is comfortable working his way to the right angle:

Here's the problem. Even if Boerkircher becomes John Bates of the Washington Commanders -- one of the best blocking tight ends in the league -- he'll still have failed to return value on this draft choice at No. 56.

I can understand James Gladstone not wanting to ship off draft capital after last year's big splash, but after losing Devin Lloyd in free agency, Anthony Hill Jr. and Kyle Louis were available at linebacker. Iowa State nose tackle Domonique Orange might not last to No. 81. A myriad of corners are sliding down the board.

There are real problems -- and a need for depth -- within so many areas on this football team. They didn't have a first-round pick. Taking a blocking tight end that slightly upgrades Quintin Morris or Hunter Long is a disgraceful use of a Day 2 pick.

The Travis Hunter trade doesn't look great with hindsight. James Gladstone's goodwill with the fanbase is evaporating by the second, and this pick could be remembered as a historical turning point if he ends up getting the axe in the coming years.

Grade: F

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