Many draft analysts have criticized the Jacksonville Jaguars for taking tight end Nate Boerkircher with the 56th overall pick. With Boerkircher ranked as the 163rd player on the consensus big board, analysts believe that the Jaguars took him too early.
While Boerkircher was among the top blocking tight ends in this year’s NFL draft — and in all of college football last season — he did not have much pass-catching production during his career.
Between his time at Nebraska and Oklahoma, Boerkircher had a combined 48 targets over four seasons — 22 of which came this past year. During that span, he totaled 417 receiving yards with four touchdowns.
Following Saturday’s rookie minicamp practice, Boerkircher was asked about his limited production in the passing game.
“I would say there’s a lot that goes into it,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I was always underutilized. I want more passes for sure. Everyone does. Like we go back to A&M, we had a complicated offense. It was a great, versatile offense. We had two first-round talent receivers with Mario Craver and KC (Concepcion). And so, those are the guys we really wanted to attack, and so it just is what it is. I just filled my role and played it to the best of my ability.”
The Jaguars remain bullish on Boerkircher’s ability to make an impact through the air. After Day 2 of the NFL draft, Liam Coen mentioned that Boerkircher capitalized on every opportunity during the pre-draft process to showcase that he can be a pass-catching threat.
Having a tight end who can affect both the run and passing games can add a level of unpredictability to an offense. The heavy personnel packages can help the Jacksonville offense create and exploit mismatches as well.
In regard to Boerkircher’s pre-draft ranking by the outside world, Coen says, “It’s about our consensus.” The Jaguars firmly believe that Boerkircher is an excellent fit both on and off the field.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars Nate Boerkircher on limited pass catching production in college
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
