The Jacksonville Jaguars stunned the NFL when they selected tight end Nate Boerkircher at No. 56 in the 2026 NFL Draft. The pick turned out to be controversial because they "reached" for a tight end with minimal production in six collegiate seasons. Couple that with the fact that the Jags seemingly had bigger roster needs, and they were heavily scrutinized for the selection.
However, Jacksonville drafted Boerkircher because it plans to run way more 12 and 13 personnel sets next season. On top of that, he's a much better pass-catcher than his statline at Texas A&M may suggest.
Not surprisingly, the Jaguars have heaped praise on the rookie tight end. And just recently, head coach Liam Coen talked about how his arrival will change the outlook of the offense next season.
Nate Boekircher gives the Jaguars a valuable chess piece alongside Brenton Strange
Liam Coen met with reporters after one OTA practice and stated that drafting Nate Boerkircher gives the Jaguars depth and flexibility, noting that the Aurora, Colorado native gives the coaching staff a tight end that can take a bit of pressure off Brenton Strange's shoulders.
"Yeah, I think it just allows some of our similar to like what Jacoby did in ways, allowing not just himself to come get integrated and do what he does well, but also what it allows for the other guys to do," Coen told reporters (9:36 mark). So, as much as we love Brenton Strange, blocking, and he's so tough, he wants to do it, he's physical, he'll bite you. We also missed time last year, in which our record, and when you look at when he has production, what our record looks like is kind of interesting to see."
Coen continued, "So allowing Brent to continue to do what he does well, but also to maybe take some of that wear and tear, some of the pounding that it takes when you're blocking Trayvon Walkers of the world and Josh Hines Allen's of the world, you know, getting them matched up more on those linebackers and safeties, and now he's an advantage for us, now we have an edge."
"So we always feel good about Strange's blocking at the point of attack, but we needed some help there, and being able to provide Strange an option to go maybe split out or go block other people that maybe keep them out of some of those one-on-one big situations. I think that's going to help us tremendously."
The whole exchange took place because someone brought up that Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski stated that Boerkircher would change the offense in the latest episode of The Hunt.
Nate Boerkircher could turn out to be an underrated contributor for the Jaguars
Nate Boerkircher ran into something of a speed bump in the offseason program because he's dealing with an injury. It doesn't appear to be serious, but it's forced him to miss valuable practice time. The good news is that the former Aggie should be back in the fold by training camp, so his absence at mandatory minicamp isn't a reason for concern, at least not yet.
Once Boerkircher returns, the expectation is that he'll create mismatches alongside Brenton Strange. One of them could stay at the line of scrimmage to block, and the other can be used as a receiver. Either way, this tight end tandem could present a challenge to opposing defenses, and they have to be ready to deal with both of them.
The Jaguars knew what they were doing when they drafted Nate Boerkircher. They could get the last laugh if he lives up to expectations.
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