By Don Coble, Florida Sports Wire
JACKSONVILLE (www.jaxsportsday.com) – Nate Boerkircher’s pleasant demeanor belies the fact he’s unafraid to continually prove people wrong.
He did it out of high school by rejecting several NCAA Division II offers to walk on with Nebraska. He did it again for his sixth college season – his career was extended one season by the COVID-19 pandemic – at Texas A&M.
Projected as a fourth rounder during April’s NFL Draft, the Jaguars surprised most by taking the 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end with the 56th overall pick during the second round.
Fueled by a grudge, now he feels compelled to play for vindication. Again.
“I would say there’s a chip. I like that mentality, just having a chip on my shoulder,” Boerkircher said. “Like I said, I had it as a walk-on. I used that chip in college. This is just another way to fuel some motivation for me in the NFL.
“At the end of the day, it’s really just put the ball down and play football. If I look ahead, it’s a little overwhelming. There’s too much going on. If I just attack whatever’s in front of me, that helps me a lot.”
Boerkircher said he’s eager to show the coaching staff – and his distractors – what he can do when the Jaguars practice for the first time in full pads on Monday. The first four workouts were in helmets, jerseys and shorts.
“Like I said, outside of pads, when you’re just practicing with no pads on it’s a variation of football. It’s a little different. You can’t hit as hard.”
Jacksonville didn’t have any immediate needs in the Draft, so the front office decided to take a player who was considered the best blocking tight end in the Draft. Head coach Liam Coen wants to use more two tight end sets this year, and Boerkircher could prove to be a perfect complement to starter Brenton Strange, much like when he joined fellow tight end Theo Melin Ohrstrom for the Aggies.
He only had 19 catches for 219 yards and one touchdown in his five years at Nebraska. Mired toward the bottom of the depth chart, Boerkircher transferred to Texas A&M for his senior season, and he responded with 19 catches for 198 yards and three TDs.
“[Boerkircher is] the type of player, type of person that we’re trying to hunt up here: attitude, toughness – mentally and physically tough,” Coen said. “I think he has a lot more in his body than was probably displayed throughout the season when they were throwing the ball a lot to those wideouts.”
Boerkircher likes everything about the Jaguars, especially their schemes and the locker room atmosphere.
“You see the receiving room, it’s absurd. All those guys are insane,” he said. “Even the twos and threes (strings), they are stacked. All that with a great quarterback and a great O-line, I’m really, really liking where we’re headed in this process.
“Obviously, the tight end is a very much used part of the offense. It’s been a pleasant surprise coming here and knowing the offense. It’s a great system, great scheme. They do a really good job teaching us, giving us the tools to succeed.”
Coen clearly wants to get stronger up front, which is why Jacksonville also drafted tight end Tanner Koziol from Houston (fifth round) and signed undrafted free agent Ethan Conner from Troy. In all, there are seven tight ends in camp. The team is expected to keep four on the 53-man roster.
Quotable:
When asked what fans at the Miller Electric Complex could expect in Monday’s practice with full pads, Boerkircher never hesitated and answered, “Physicality.”
Short yardage:
• Travis Hunter had one of his best practices as a pro on Sunday. Last year’s first round pick caught two passes on offense and recorded an interception on defense. The only misstep was he gave up a 25-yard touchdown pass while covering CJ Williams man-to-man.
• The final period of Sunday’s workout was dedicated to the two-minute offense and field goals. Placekicker Cam Little was good on both field goal attempts – one from 49 yards, the second from 32.
• Another highlight of the two-minute drill was a 25-yard sliding catch for a TD by Parker Washington from a Trevor Lawrence pass.
Up next:
• The Jaguars will be back on the field in full pads at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The public can attend, but they must claim a free pass in advance from Tickemaster through jaguars.com/trainingcamp/. They can also register for an autograph pass after the workout.
