3 Bold Predictions for Jaguars' Nate Boerkircher's Rookie Impact

What can we expect to see from Nate Boerkircher in his first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Oct 18, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) scores a touchdown in the second quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars' tight end room is about to look a lot different in 2026.

To the surprise of many, the Jaguars used their top asset of the entire 2026 offseason on Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher. While Boerkircher is entering the league with more fanfare inside Jacksonville than out of it, that hardly matters at this point.

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) lines up during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

What does matter is what he brings to the Jaguars' offense, and what he might be capable of doing in 2026 to boost Liam Coen's team instantly. So, what are our boldest and biggest predictions on what Boerkircher does as a rookie and what it will mean for 2026? We break it down below.

The Usage

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) lines up during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Prediction: Boerkircher Plays 45% of Offensive Snaps

When considering what kind of role the Jaguars might have envisioned for their new tight end, I think it is worth looking at the usage of the tight ends from a year ago. Hunter Long played the second-most snaps at tight end for the Jaguars with 41% of the snaps, and Johnny Mundt was behind him at 36%.

Player	Routes	Targets	Target %	Yards/Route	In-Line Route %	Split-Out Route %
Hunter Long	134	17	12,7%	0.6	38.05%	61.94%
Johnny Mundt	130	19	14.6%	0.9	60.8%	39.2%
Quintin Morris	75	9	12.0%	0.7	53,4%	46.6%

Boerkircher's skill-set almost seems like a combination of the two since he has in-line blocking value as well as the ability to be detached from the line of scrimmage. Some of Boerkircher's best plays came when the Aggies put him in space and flexed him out wide in trips formations, taking advantage of his ability to block in space and his natural athleticism.

Ultimately, I think Boerkircher's exact usage will be closer to Mundt's in terms of in-line and split-out reps, but I do think he sees the field more than either Long or Mundt did last season. Tanner Koziol could be utilized in the Long role of the team's move tight end, while Quintin Morris can help replace the in-line reps from Long. Boerkircher takes over for the replaced Mundt and sees the tight end role expand as a result.

The Statline

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) blocks Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Prediction: Boerkircher catches 16 receptions for 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.

This is roughly what Jackson Hawes provided for the Buffalo Bills last season while he played 43% of the snaps and had a major blocking role. I think Boerkircher is a similar style of player and would imagine the Jaguars see similar value in what he could bring to the field. Yes, Hawes was a fifth-round pick, but he made a tangible impact fo the Bills that I think can be replicated.

Part of me thinks Boerkircher will be able to find the end zone a few times based off schemed plays from Coen alone, and it would not surprise me if the Jaguars and Coen see each one of those touchdowns as a response to the criticism the selection has garnered from national analysts. We saw the Jaguars scheme up Long for several scores early last year, including the first touchdown of the season, and Coen could easily do this with his new rookie.

With that said, there are just too many mouthes to feed in the offense to imagine the Jaguars would really require all that more from Boerkircher in 2026. His value will come in the pass game, yes, but that is not how it will entirely be defined. I believe he will make some plays, but his real value comes as a blocker and can't be found on the statsheet.

The Impact

Oct 11, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) runs a route during the second half against the Florida Gators at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Prediction: Jaguars Become a top-10 Offense in 12/13 Personnel

The Jaguars have made their intentions clear from the jump that this pick was about getting better at 12 and 13 personnel in a year in which it seems like half of the NFL is trending in that direction. The Jaguars saw those exact offenses cause their own defense issues last season, and it is so surprise that it is the Los Angeles Rams who are the poster child for the movement.

It is not as if the Jaguars did not run multiple tight end sets a year ago. They were about league average in terms of usage of 12 and 13 personnel last year, but the Jaguars certainly did not see major results from the packages. They schemed up a few plays, but the Jaguars could not run the ball well out of heavier sets.

That is what I believe Boerkircher is here to help the Jaguars do. Add his blocking ability to Coen's ability to scheme tight ends open in the passing game, and I think it is fair to expect the Jaguars' offense to improve in this area.