Jaguars’ Draft Profile: Nate Boerkircher
James Gladstone and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ front office sure did turn some heads following the selection of Texas A&M’s tight end Nate Boerkircher with the 56th overall selection. From Gladstone’s perspective, the move was an attempt to get out in front of an expected run on tight ends with the NFL moving in the direction of multiple tight end sets. Boy, was he right.
Following the selection of Boerkircher, 4 of the next 17 picks were at the tight end position. Among the teams that selected a tight end was Gladstone’s old mentor, Les Snead, and the Rams, who battered the Jaguars in multiple tight end sets last season. >>> STREAM ACTION SPORTS JAX 24/7 LIVE <<< So who is Nate Boerkircher?
A walk-on at Nebraska, Boerkircher ended up transferring to Texas A&M after some disappointing years with the Cornhuskers. His numbers didn’t improve too much in College Station, but NFL teams finally got a glimpse of what he can do. Standing 6’6”, 245 pounds, Boerkircher has the desired size and athleticism (8.
90 RAS), but simply wasn’t a focal point in the Aggies’ offense. Across his six-year collegiate career, Boerkircher accrued just 38 receptions for 417 yards. Half of those receptions and yards did come during his final season with the Aggies, however.
While the statistical production wasn’t what you would expect from the 56th overall pick at the position, much of it was outside of his control. According to ProFootball, Boerkircher had an “elite” separation rate of 86. 4%, yet managed just 22 targets.