Nate Boerkircher catches first career pass in win

Per Shipley, Koziol “will earn reps” in the regular season if he keeps making plays. The Jaguars drafted Koziol in Round 5 and fellow TE Nate Boerkircher in Round 2 this year, but Shipley believes it’s been a ‘relatively quiet offseason for Boerkircher,” and Boerkircher missed Thursday’s practice for an undisclosed reason. He missed a practice last week as well. Koziol has shown “a real ability to make plays on the ball.” He is unlikely to garner a fantasy-relevant workload playing behind TE1 Brenton Strange, but Koziol is a name to know moving forward.

Shipley said the Jaguars drafting Texas A&M TE Nate Boerkircher and Houston TE Tanner Koziol in the 2026 draft does not mean the Jaguars coaching staff has a smaller role planned for Strange, who last season 46 catches, 540 yards, and three touchdowns as the team’s TE1. Shipley expected Strange’s pass game involvement to grow as the Jaguars deploy more tight end-heavy offensive sets. The Jaguars, Shipley said, are “clearly hoping that injecting the [tight end] room with talent should allow Strange to produce at an even higher level than before.” Last season Strange was targeted on 21 percent of his routes, which ranked 25th out of 58 qualifying tight ends. Though he’ll likely be the team’s third or fourth option in the passing game, Strange should be a viable fantasy option in 12 and 14-team leagues this season.

Boerkircher sat out on Monday, but we do not yet know why. Koziol looks “smooth in space” and took the advantage of his opportunities. His stand out showings as a pass-catcher have “helped him make some real progress at the start of OTAs.” Kozial was a bit of a dynasty darling in this season’s rookie draft cycle. We do not expect him to be relevant in re-draft this season, but these reports are encouraging for his long-term outlook.

Boerkircher was the No. 56 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and will compete for the team’s TE2 role. He is primarily a blocking tight end and is unlikely to have fantasy-relevancy as a pass-catcher. However, his blocking utilization will play a key role in the Jaguars’ rushing attack and efficiency for Chris Rodriguez and Bhayshul Tuten in the backfield. With Boerkircher signing his rookie contract, the entire Jaguars 2026 rookie class is signed.

In his “bold predictions” piece, Shipley said he also believes Boerkircher will play on 45.0 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, catch 16 passes, produce 200 yards and score three times. In other words, he is very unlikely to be fantasy-relevant. That said, Shipley’s most notable point is that Boerkircher “has in-line blocking value as well as the ability to be detached from the line of scrimmage” and can block well on the outside, which is a plus for the Jaguars’ run game. The team has consistently harped on improving the run game this offseason. If Boerkircher can quickly establish himself as the Jaguars’ TE2, the impact could trickle down to RBs Chris Rodriguez and Bhayshul Tuten.

Boerkircher (6’6/245) caught 38 passes across 52 FBS games for Nebraska and A&M. His 19-catch 2025 for the Aggies was his lone double-digit receptions total. Boerkircher’s calling card is his punishing blocks and “taste for contact,” in the words of NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler does believe Boerkircher, 24, offers some “catch-point talent” after his somewhat surprising final season in College Station. Although his advanced age and lack of statistical production make him a long shot to produce fantasy points, he’s perhaps worth a final-round flier in five-round rookie drafts. The Jaguars are excited about their run game this season and, at the very least, Boerkircher can serve as a reliable blocker in two-tight end sets.