The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off their new era in tremendous fashion last season, making some big offseason moves and eventually winning 13 games. The quick turnaround for Jacksonville led to a ton of praise for head coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone, who were both in their first year.
However, Gladstone is quickly learning that the NFL world is pretty fickle. All of the praise that was headed his way has already turned to questioning. That started when the Jags were relatively inactive in free agency (running back Chris Rodriguez was their only external signing), and the heat got turned up in the 2026 Draft.
Jacksonville, without a first-round pick after the Travis Hunter trade, put together a class that had a lot of people scratching their heads. The first pick of the group was tight end Nate Boerkircher, and he may have been the biggest shocker. Selected in the second round, with the 56th overall pick, Boerkircher was immediately characterized as a massive reach.
While many people feel that way, one analyst thinks the tight end could have an instant impact on the Jaguars. Draft expert Field Yates, in an ESPN piece looking at non-first-round picks who could see instant success, listed Boerkircher as one of those players.
Nate Boerkircher and the Jaguars could immediately prove critics wrong
Yates explained the shock in the football world as Boerkircher being selected by Jacksonville when he was, but seemingly defended the Jaguars because of their plan to immediately use the tight end. Praising the former Texas A&M Aggie's blocking ability, Yates explained that the Boerkircher is especially intriguing because his skill as a pass catcher hasn’t even been explored to its full ability.
In five years in college, Boerkircher played in 52 games and caught just 38 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns. That production is why his draft spot was surprising, but there’s a belief that he has more to offer, in addition to his already promising blocking.
It’s safe to say Liam Coen and company will certainly see what the tight end can offer as a pass catcher, while also leaning on him as a blocker alongside the ascending Brenton Strange.
That means Nate Boerkircher will be on the field early and will have the chance to immediately become an impact player in Jacksonville. If that happens, general manager James Gladstone will be getting the last laugh.
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