The Jacksonville Jaguars are nearly a week removed from the 2026 NFL Draft, and general manager James Gladstone is still getting ripped by talking heads after picking multiple players many rounds before when most assumed they would be taken, based on the consensus ranking.
The most objectionable selection was using their first pick in the draft, No. 56 overall, on Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher. Most of the criticism stems from the fact that he will be an older rookie and had minimal college production as a receiver. For this reason, the decision to use a Round 2 pick on him is still getting ripped apart by NFL executives.
ESPN's Seth Walder asked a group of executives about five players widely thought to be reaches in the 2026 Draft. He then wanted to know if those players were considered solid value, a little bit of a reach, or a severe error among those across the league.
Four of the five executives asked said that Boerkircher was a huge reach, with only one declaring him a light reach, and none of them said the pick was adequate value. Boerkircher is a heat check by Gladstone, and the rest of the NFL seems to be very skeptical of the move.
NFL executives rip Jaguars for Nate Boerkircher pick in NFL Draft
Boerkircher has just 38 catches in his entire college career, including 19 in his final season with Texas A&M. The former Nebraska transfer didn't have the best athletic testing times, showing that Gladstone didn't even reach on someone who was a run bundle of undeveloped physical traits.
Boerkircher is a solid blocker for his size, and that could help him slot in as the No. 2 tight end in a league that is leaning more on multiple tight end looks. Boerkircher also played in an offense with average quarterback play and a lack of designed tight end targets, suggesting that Jacksonville's scheme could be more beneficial.
Due to the notion he reached on certain players like Boerkircher, however, Gladstone will need to hope his rookies hit the ground running. Third-round defensive tackle Albert Regis and guard Emmanuel Pregnon were both regarded as solid selections (especially Pregnon), but Day 3 was full of multiple consensus board reaches in addition to Boerkircher.
There's a world where Boerkircher becomes another Brenton Strange and develops into a reliable target for Trevor Lawrence. However, if he never takes a step forward as a pass-catcher, James Gladstone's second Jaguars draft may end up aging even worse than it appears.
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