The Jacksonville Jaguars have caught lots of heat for drafting Nate Boerkircher. Leaving aside that they picked him way before the consensus board suggested, his stat line in 2025 didn't particularly pop off the stat sheet. Nevertheless, the Jags don't care about the outside noise and are confident that they found a game-changer with the 56th overall pick. And based on how things have played out, maybe they're onto something.
Boerkircher stood out at rookie minicamp and followed that up with another strong outing at Organized Team Activities. However, that hasn't been enough to silence his critics.
An NFL analyst suggests the Nate Boerkircher pick stunned Jaguars fans
Justin Melo of Sports Illustrated drew up a list of second-round picks that stunned their fanbases. He included Nate Boerkircher, arguing that the Jaguars had bigger needs than tight end at receiver.
"It's been well documented that the Jacksonville Jaguars' decision to select tight end Nate Boerkircher at No. 56 overall was the most surprising occurrence of the second round," Melo wrote. "The Jaguars went into the draft needing an off-linebacker after letting Devin Lloyd walk in free agency. Their division rival Tennessee Titans took linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. just four picks after they took Boerkircher. It'll be interesting to monitor how that plays out."
There's no doubt that letting Devin Lloyd walk in free agency left a void at receiver. However, the team's brass is confident that 2023 fourth-round pick Ventrell Miller is ready to step up, with head coach Liam Coen stating that he should be thrilled that Jacksonville didn't bring anyone to compete with him in the offseason.
Still, Melo doesn't see much value in taking a tight end who'll be the No. 2 behind Brenton Strange and will be a blocking specialist.
"Boerkircher will be the clear No. 2 tight end in Jacksonville behind Brenton Strange. The former TExas A&M standout will paly a specialized blocking role," Melo wrote.
On paper, Melo raises valid concerns. Boerkircher just hauled in a measly 19 receptions for 198 yards with three touchdowns in 2025. However, it's not often discussed that he posted a separation rate of 86.4 percent the same year, meaning that he was routinely opened but was still not targeted nearly as much as he should have been.
Moreover, other clubs were setting their sights on Boerkircher, so if the Jaguars hadn't drafted him at No. 56, he would have been off the board late in Round 2 or early in the third. Either way, general manager James Gladstone didn't simply draw a random name from a hat. Instead, he took a player who can make a huge impact in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars expect big things from Nate Boerkirker even with Brenton Strange in the fold
Brenton Strange remains firmly entrenched at the top of the depth chart, and that won't change any time soon, with the team working with him to reach a long-term extension. That said, Nate Boerkircher will still have a substantial role on offense.
Jacksonville plans to run more 12 (two tight ends) and 13 (three tight ends) personnel more often next season. As noted before, Boerkircher is an underrated pass-catcher, so he could create mismatches. He could either stay at the line of scrimmage to block or run a route while Strange does the dirty work.
Similarly, the Jaguars want to improve the running game, and having a tight end who can block in Boekricher will most definitely come in handy.
Of course, the Nate Boerkircher pick will continue to garner skepticism until he takes the field. But for the time being, the Jaguars are thrilled with his development.
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