Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen Pleased With Rookie TE's Performances

As the Jacksonville Jaguars continue to stack wins, the players drafted by the franchise in recent years have been key contributors.

Rookie tight end Nate Boerkircher is one of them, serving as one of offensive coordinator Grant Udinski's top blockers.

Through the opening six weeks, Boerkircher has been among the rookie leaders at his position in snaps, helping the Jaguars expand their offensive scheme and employ heavier packages.

On Wednesday, head coach Liam Coen spoke on his first-year pass catcher and what he was brought to the table thus far.

"He's reliable, tough, and smart for a rookie," Coen said.

The statistical production has not been extremely strong for Boerkircher, but he has remained one of the most consistently praised players on the team.

Last weekend, against the Philadelphia Eagles, Boerkircher had his best day receiving as a pro, hauling in two catches for 20 yards.

Boerkircher did not post the most eye-popping production in college either, catching just 38 passes in five college seasons.

But he does possess the physical traits and upside to be an impact blocker and red-zone threat at the next level.

Following Jacksonville's selection of Boerkircher, the media jumped on General Manager James Gladstone, calling it a reach.

Boerkircher did go much before he was originally projected, taken No. 56 overall when he was anticipated to go in the third or fourth round.

After being picked, Boerkircher said the negative media attention his early pick has received only added fuel to the fire.

"It's kind of impossible to ignore. It is what it is, it doesn't bother me," Boerkircher told Radio 1010XL's "Jaguars Today" show. "Being a walk-on, I wasn't super highly recruited out of the portal even. I've always been kind of an underdog.

"It just puts another chip on my shoulder and every time I've had a chip on my shoulder, I've excelled. So, I'm excited to see what happens."

The former Aggie also started a bit of a trend after being taken off the board, as two tight ends were taken in the remaining eight picks of the second round and an additional four were selected in the third round.

Following the Jaguars' pick, general manager James Gladstone said he had a feeling "heavier" tight ends were going to hold a higher value in this year's draft.

Gladstone said the team's decision makers had an "internal sentiment" that a run of tight ends would come in the late-second to early-third range and wanted to make sure they got their guy.

"He was the one we were hunting up and we weren't going to allow that [run] to ever be something that we risk," Gladstone said.

With Travis Etienne departing in free agency, the run game was a question mark for this year's team, but the consistent blocking from Boerkircher and other key players up front has allowed Bhayshul Tuten to have a strong start to the season.