Nate Boerkircher Fantasy Stats

Sports Illustrated's John Shipley writes that Jacksonville Jaguars rookie second-rounder Nate Boerkircher is the favorite to be the team's No. 2 tight end behind Brenton Strange in 2026. Boerkircher had only 38 catches for 417 yards and four touchdowns in five collegiate seasons with Nebraska and Texas A&M, but the Jags "have been extremely high on their rookie" and what he can do for the rest of the offense. The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder figures to make an impact immediately as a blocker, but they also think that he has untapped potential in the passing game. It won't be easy for Boerkircher, though, as he'll face competition from Quinton Morris and fellow rookie fifth-rounder Tanner Koziol. Koziol was "hands-down the most impressive tight end" not named Strange during offseason workouts. Depending on how the numbers shake out for the final 53-man roster, Hunter Long could be the odd-man out at the position. For Jacksonville's No. 2 TE role, blocking will be a point of emphasis, and Boerkircher definitely has the upper hand there over Koziol, whose blocking was a serious question mark in college.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have selected Texas A&M tight end prospect Nate Boerkircher with the 56th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This was the Jaguars' first selection of the draft, and they spent it on a tight end despite already having Brenton Strange on their roster. We shouldn't be too surprised by the addition, though, as pre-draft reporting indicated that the Jaguars wanted to come out of the draft with an impact tight end to complement Strange on offense. After four years with Nebraska, Boerkircher transferred to A&M for the 2025 season and ultimately tallied 19 catches, 198 yards, and three touchdowns. Those are underwhelming receiving metrics, and while the Jaguars do plan to get him more involved in the passing game, he's a blocker first and foremost. He posted a 72.2 PFF grade in run blocking last season. Ranked as the consensus #162 prospect in the draft according to NFLMockDraftDatabase.com, some might say this was a bit of a reach for Jaguars general manager James Gladstone. The fantasy rankings would tend to agree, as Boerkircher falls outside the top 85 tight ends in RotoBaller's latest dynasty rankings.