The Jacksonville Jaguars selected a pair of tight ends in the NFL Draft, Nate Boerkircher in Round 2 and Tanner Koziol in Round 4. The former is understandably getting more attention because he was the Jags' first selection, but the latter has also been doing his best to stand out during the offseason program.
Koziol first turned heads at Organized Team Activities when he reeled in a catch in the red zone. He built off his encouraging outing, making a strong impression in back-to-back practices at mandatory minicamp.
Tanner Koziol is watching his stock soar at Jaguars mandatory minicamp
John Shipley of Sports Illustrated shared his notes from Day 2 of mandatory minicamp. He reported that Tanner Koziol stood out, pointing out that he made a big play for the second day in a row.
"Another chance came on Wednesday with Koziol making the top play of any Jaguars tight end on the day," Shipley wrote. "Koziol has made more plays this offseason than any tight end on the roster not named Brenton Strange, and another one came on Wednesday over the middle of the field with Rayuan Lane draped all over him."
Shipley continued, "It was the second day in a row that Koziol has made an impressive play on the ball against Lane, who had a good rookie season. He is making an impression early on."
The day prior, Shipley noted that Koziol hauled in a red-zone touchdown, adding that the former Houston Cougar has the size to come down with jump balls.
It's a bit early, but it's encouraging to learn that Koziol is already making plays from the get-go. There's still a long way to go before the regular season, but he's trending toward being TE3 behind fellow rookie Nate Boericher and Brenton Strange.
Granted, Koziol still needs to move ahead of veterans Quintin Morris and Hunter Long on the depth chart. However, he should be able to carve out a role on offense if he keeps standing out when he has the football in his hands.
The Jaguars will have no choice but to give Tanner Koziol playing time
The Jaguars are still sorting the roster out. But barring something unexpected, it would be shocking to see Tanner Koziol not make the cut. Whether he gets substantial playing time next season is a whole different issue. However, the Bloomingdale, Illinois native is making the most out of reps and proving he deserves to get plenty of targets his way.
The Jaguars plan to run more 12-personnel (two tight ends) sets and 13 (three tight ends) in 2026. That will allow Koziol the chance to get on the field. But the coaching staff could most definitely design a handful of plays around his unique skill set.
At 6'7", Koziol gives Trevor Lawrence a huge target who can reel in contested jump balls in the red zone. The Jags weren't necessarily bad in the red zone last year, but with the rookie tight end in the mix, they could improve substantially in that area.
The Jaguars generally got poor reviews for their draft haul. The fact that they didn't have a first-round pick didn't help matters. However, their rookie class is quickly making general manager James Gladstone look smart in hindsight. Tanner Koziol, in particular, is quickly proving the Jags right.
Add us as a preferred source on Google