The Jacksonville Jaguars are committed to having one of the deepest tight end rooms in NFL history. After selecting Nate Boerkircher with the 56th overall pick, general manager James Gladstone and his scouting department opted to go back to the well and pick up Houston's Tanner Koziol. Koziol is a great pass-catching tight end who looks more like a big receiver when he's making defensive backs sweat on his best reps. I think this is a great value pick, but when exactly will Koziol see the field?
Brenton Strange is entering the big-money window of his career, and his rapport with Trevor Lawrence hinted that he was due to become a Jaguar for life. Have these plans changed with the recent additions to the tight end room, or will Liam Coen do the unthinkable and roll with around four or five guys at the position?
Also, will Boerkircher only play on obvious running downs? Third and goal from the one? Forth and inches? That's your second round pick, man, he's gotta be slotted to do something important in 2026.
Grading Tanner Koziol's value as a fifth-round draft pick and a fit on the Jaguars' offense
As an individual talent, Tanner Koziol is a prolific receiving option who comes in the door for a super cheap price. For the 164th-overall pick, the Jags landed a tight end who grabbed 237 receptions for 2,234 yards and 24 touchdowns throughout his four-year collegiate career. As the second or third-string tight end, a pro season with 25 receptions, 300 receiving yards, and three scores seems fairly realistic.
However, the front office could crown Koziol as the receiving tight end of the future if he amazes the top brass during training camp and the regular season. He could handle the traditional passing downs and gotta-have-it situations that Boerkircher's limitations as a receiver prevent him from helping with. That seems like a lot of work, but it at least makes the acquisition of two tight ends in the same draft make sense.
Ultimately, you're not supposed to find Power 4 players with Koziol's resume this late in the draft. The pick, itself, is a good one, maybe even great, but it doesn't address the Jaguars' need for a pass-rushing defensive tackle or off-ball linebacker who can either succeed Foye Oluokun or backup Ventrell Miller.
The truth is that the Jags could end up getting lots of bang for their buck with Tanner Koziol, but they still need to address their biggest roster needs.
Grade: B-
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