Nate Boerkircher draft criticism keeps aging poorly in Jaguars' win vs. Colts

All the injuries the Jacksonville Jaguars suffered against the Indianapolis Colts most definitely cast a dark cloud over the 42-7 win in Week 8. However, not everything was doom and gloom.

While the Jags saw a handful of players leave the game, they also saw a few others step up in the midst of adversity, including rookie tight end Nate Boekircher.

Already, Boerkirker was doing a good job of validating Jacksonville's decision to draft him 56th overall in 2026, but he took another step towards silencing his critics with a head-turning touchdown against Indianapolis. Heck, the team threw shade at them on social media, posting that "The consensus is that this is pretty good for blocking tight end."

Nate Borkircher's TD vs. the Colts prove the Jaguarsr were right to draft him

Leaving aside that the Jaguars ignored the consensus big board when they drafted Nate Boekircher, there were doubts about his ability to catch the football after reeling in just 19 yards for 194 yards with three touchdowns in 2025. When you factor in that Jacksonville had bigger needs at the time, it's easy to see why critics pan his selection. That said, the team's brass had a plan.

Boerkircher was a much better pass-catcher than his stats suggested, posting an 86.4 percent separation rate at Texas A&M. Moreover, he was going to play a pivotal role in fixing the Jags' stink from last year: Running the football. Thus far, the Aurora, Nebraska native has been everything Jacksonville bargained for and then some.

With Boerkircher in the mix, the Jaguars have been able to run more multiple tight-end sets and get the running game going. His blocking skills have made him a pivotal piece on offense, while he's also showing that he's much more than a one-trick pony, reeling in seven catches for 83 yards with two touchdowns.

Granted, Brenton Strange remains the top tight end on the depth chart, but Boekircher is quickly proving to be a valuable target.

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The Jaguars need to keep getting the football to Nate Boerkircher

Back in the draft, the Jaguars got poor grades for passing on other players who were seemingly more valuable in favor of Nate Boerkircher. What the scores didn't take into account was that none of those picks could do what Jacksonville had planned for Boerkircher.

Even then, though, there was a chance the selection could blow in the Jags' face if Boekircher didn't pan out, but he has and is quickly putting all doubts to rest. The former Aggie only had two targets in the first three weeks of the season, but has been targeted at least twice in three of the past four games, including the win over the Colts.

And with his second touchdown of the year, Nate Boerkicher is giving the Jaguars no choice but to give him more targets. He's simply too good a player to stay on the sidelines.

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