Jacksonville Jaguars' second-round selection, Nate Boerkircher, was among the best blocking tight ends in this year's draft. However, he didn't produce much in the passing game.
Over five college seasons, Boerkircher had just 48 total targets, 22 of which came during his final season at Texas A&M. This lack of production led to many analysts criticizing
the Jaguars' decision to select Boerkircher as early as they did.That said, just because the production isn't there doesn't mean a player can't do something. Instead, the lack of targets was more so about what the offensive systems were asking of Boerkircher.
Through the early going of training camp, head coach Liam Coen has been very pleased with what he's seen from Boerkircher as a route runner.
"I've actually been pleased with him," Coen said after Monday's practice. "Running routes that he doesn't get a target on or he's not the primary route runner on, he's going to be more than fine in terms of what he's going to be able to do, whether it's targeting him or not, fitting in the progressions and being there, he'll be more than fine with us being able to go, whether he's in 11 or 12 and he's the Y and he's opposite Brenton or whatever it is and you're able to mix those things up, I'm more than pleased with what he's able to do from a route tree standpoint."
When the Jaguars selected Boerkircher, offensive coordinator Grant Udinski said that he is a player who can change the offense. The thought process behind that is the Jaguars' internal belief that Boerkircher brings a well-rounded skill set to the tight end position, much like Brenton Strange.
His ability to take on different roles and wear a variety of hats allows Coen to utilize him in different ways. This not only creates opportunities for Boerkircher to exploit, but it can create opportunities for his teammates as well, including Strange, who could be freed up to do more in the passing game when Boerkircher is on the field.
In order to accomplish this, Boerkircher being a threat in the passing game, even if the ball doesn't come his direction, is an important element to pair with his blocking abilities.
It's early, but the vision that the Jaguars had when selecting the tight end seems to be coming to life on the practice field.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Key area of Nate Boerkircher's game has Liam Coen's attention in camp
