Reactions to Jaguars' Nate Boerkircher Pick Make Only Makes Him Fit In More

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are no strangers to going against the grain.

The Jaguars did so with their biggest move of the 2025 offseason. The Travis Hunter trade was a bold move for a non-quarterback that had plenty of dissenters, and their plan of letting him play a big role on both sides of the ball has had its fair shair of doubters.

Last season, the Jaguars used those doubts -- as well as any slights they could -- as motivation. They played with a chip on their shoulders each and every week, whether it was thanks to Robert Saleh and stealing signals, Sean Payton and small markets, or whoever else.

Coming out of the 2026 NFL Draft, it is clear the Jaguars have another feather to put in their disrespect cap: Nate Boerkircher, the No. 56 overall pick who has been one of the main causes of post-draft debate and disputes across football about teams drafting away from the consensus. And for the Jaguars, that is just fine.

Boerkircher Fits Like a Glove

The Jaguars, of course, will never make decisions based on any opinions or perceptions outside of their building. The entire reason they operate their draft process the way they do is to ensure things like bias and groupthink do not become a part of their evaluations, so it is only natural that sometimes they will stand out and be outliers.

That is the nature of the draft and how it is now consusmed and analysed, of course. The Jaguars are not the only team to catch some post-draft heat for going their own way with top selections, but it is not a surprise to see that the benefit of the doubt has yet to be extended to them, even after a stellar 13-4 season.

"So, it's about our consensus and what we believe in this building about each player and how they fit in and character matters, personal and football character matters," Coen said after Jaguars rookie minicamp on Saturday.

"The mental, the learning, how much they can take in a short period of time to go be able to get on the grass and go play. I wouldn't say either of our offensive or defensive systems are quote-unquote easy, so we do value players that can do different things and be able to go mentally play the game fast.”

In short: the Jaguars like what they like, and they are okay with their evaluations being different than everyone elses. There is likely zero chance Boerkircher would have been there at No. 81 when the Jaguars next were on the board, and the Jaguars like his game enough to feel comofortable drafting him in the range he did.

But as long as the Jaguars are led by Coen and James Gladstone and march to the beat of their own drums, there will be people offering disputing point of views. This only makes Boerkircher fit in more, though. The Jaguars love being slighted, being the underdog, and being made out to look like they are not deserving of respect. It is what they thrived on a year ago, and that won;t change moving forward.

Boerkircher is the kind of player who can both handle it and take advantage of what it offers him. This is far from the first time Boerkircher has been doubted and had to prove himself. He was a walk on at Nebraska and had to earn everything along the way, which is one of the big reasons the Jaguars were drawn to him as a prospect throughout the process to begin with.

“You can tell he’s got a calming confidence about him. Extremely locked in, in the meeting room setting. I knew some guys at Nebraska, and I've talked to some guys at A&M. In the weight room, the way he attacks things, the way that he works… very serious about his craft, very serious about playing football and getting better," Coen said. "So, I think he fits right in and guys like [TE Brenton] Strange and those guys in that room already that are workers and wired that way, I think will only help.”

The Jaguars believe they got one of the best tight ends in the draft with Boerkircher, a player they believe is more than what his college production as a pass-catcher suggests. But until he proves on the biggest stages that they are right, he will have plenty of people waiting for them to be wrong -- and that is just how the Jaguars like it.

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