Many draft analysts are down on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2026 class, with the team largely receiving low grades. CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards then took that critique one step further by highlighting the Jaguars’ most “questionable” selection.
His pick? The Jaguars’ second-round selection, Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher.
“The tight end run on Day 2 felt like an overcorrection by the league after seeing the impact of Jackson Hawes and others on the run game. Boerkircher has a high floor as a run blocker and his tape is indicative of higher capabilities in the pass game,” Edwards wrote. “However, using a near top-50 overall pick on that profile is risky.”
It would seem that many feel this way. In large part, that sentiment is likely due to Jacksonville picking Boerkircher at 56th overall, while he was the 163rd-ranked prospect on the consensus big board.
However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently shared a different perspective, noting that Boerkircher was the top blocking tight end on many teams’ draft boards and he expected to go in the Round 3 or early Round 4 range.
What truly matters here is that the Jaguars have a vision for Boerkircher and how they will utilize him. He adds another blocking presence to the tight end position, alongside Quintin Morris, but the Jaguars are also bullish on his upside as a pass-catcher.
The combination of Boerkircher, Morris, and Strange also opens up the possibility for more three tight-end-sets.
In today’s NFL, where defenses play a lot of two-high safety looks, the tight end position can be a chess piece for the offense, as draft analyst Bucky Brooks noted.
“When you put more tight ends on the field, you either are going to run roughshod over those fronts and those soft packages, or you’re going to force the defense to match up in various ways that you can eventually exploit,” Brooks said. “By bringing in the tight ends that they’re bringing in while still having Brenton Strange as a part of this, you are creating all kinds of chaos for the defense.”
Picking Boerkircher goes against the grain, but as James Gladstone said after Day 2, he — and the other picks — “fit the bill” for what the Jaguars are looking for.
“As the trends across the NFL begin to show themselves, not only over the last season, but the back half of the season and what we anticipate being big pieces to the puzzle over the course of this next season I think that was a real reflection of the decisions that we made,” Gladstone said.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Analyst selects Jaguars most ‘questionable’ draft pick
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Jaguars Wire / Jaguars Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
