Jaguars Rookie TE Boerkircher Making Good on ‘Draft Reach’

The Jacksonville Jaguars were the final team to make a selection in this past year's NFL Draft, making their first pick in the second round at No. 56.

Former Nebraska and Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher was the selection, which rose some eyebrows from fans and analysts following the pick.

With Brenton Strange holding down the clear lead role in the tight end room, many argued that the Jaguars could have went elsewhere with their first selection, especially when Boerkircher was originally anticipated to go in the third or fourth round.

But, Boerkircher has been an instant difference-maker in the Jacksonville offense, serving as an elite blocking tight end, and coming on in the receiving game over his past few outings.

On Thursday, in the Jaguars' 33-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, Boerkircher recorded a career-high 61 yards on two catches, following up a two-game touchdown streak with another big performance.

Boerkircher was the beneficiary of a great throw from starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who got outside of the pocket, and fired a dart down the right sideline to his 6-foot-5 tight end.

Each of Boerkircher's big plays over the past through weeks have been highlights, with two resulting in scores.

In Jacksonville's tight 34-31 loss against the Houston Texans, Boerkircher recorded his first highlight, making a spectacular grab for his seal-breaking touchdown.

On first down, from the Texans' one-yard line, Lawrence took a shotgun snap and began running up the middle like a designed QB run.

But, as he got closer to the line of scrimmage, Lawrence looked up and floated a pass to Boerkircher over the middle.

Like an NBA center, Boerkircher boxed out the smaller defender, and extended for an impressive one-handed grab.

As the London crowd roared with excitement, Boerkircher celebrated with his teammates, hopping up and delivering a Rob Gronkowski-esque spike to commemorate his first score.

Following the tough loss, head coach Liam Coen was asked about his young pass-catcher.

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

Boerkircher's main value comes as a blocker, which is exactly what was advertised heading into the draft.

The addition of the former Aggie has allowed the Jaguars to experiment with heavier personnels, which could be attributed to some of the additional success in the run game as well.

With two matchups against the Tennessee Titans over the next three weeks, the Jaguars will look to continue to build a lead over their AFC South foes.