It's early in training camp, but one Jacksonville Jaguars' Day 3 draft pick appears to be carving out a role for himself this upcoming season.
At the top of the tight end depth chart for the Jaguars will be Brenton Strange and Nate Boerkircher, but when it comes to that third spot, fifth-round pick Tanner Koziol has seen his share of opportunities through three practices, ahead of Quintin Morris and Hunter Long in the early going.
John Shipley of Jaguars on SI had this to say about Koziol.
"The Jaguars have seemed to throw a ton on his plate early on in training camp," Shipley wrote. "He has responded, too, making a highlight catch on Thursday and hauling in a touchdown on Friday."
Koziol was a major pass-catching threat from the tight end position
during his college career. If he keeps capitalizing on his opportunities, Koziol could see snaps this season as the third tight end in 13 personnel, or perhaps there could be some instances where he's the second tight end next to Strange when Jacksonville wants an added pass-catching presence.
Matchups and in-game situations will play key roles in dictating the Jaguars' tight end usage.
That said, Shipley also notes that we may "not be able to get a great idea for what his role can really look like until we see him block with pads on." As alluded to, Koziol was often a receiving option in college and less of a blocker. His ability to hold his own in that phase of the game could be important when it comes to holding off Morris for that third tight end role.
"It's also trying to put them in some positions that maybe are a little uncomfortable early on, like putting them in some positions that we got to go see what they can do in terms of that," Coen said of Boerkircher and Koziol's early workload.
As we see a potential uptick this season in 12 and 13 personnel usage from the Jaguars, Koziol could end up playing a bigger role than originally expected if he continues to perform as he has.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Jaguars Day 3 draft pick earning more opportunities early in camp
