The Jacksonville Jaguars have had an interesting offseason, to be sure. It was one that saw a number of familiar faces leave, but with some big contributors getting locked up for the near future.

The Jags reached contract extensions with a couple of key pieces of their offensive and defensive lines in OT Cole Van Lanen and EDGE Travon Walker, both of whom signed new three- and four-year deals, respectively.

However, salary cap constraints hamstrung Jacksonville’s ability to keep some important players from 2025 in house. LB Devin Lloyd, who had his coming out party last fall, signed with Carolina. Travis Etienne signed with the New Orleans Saints. But given what they were paid in free agency, it was likely wise the Jags let them go anyways, even if they had had the cap space to keep them home.

That being said, the one move that ESPN writer Seth Walder tabbed as the move he disliked the most by Jacksonville was the selection of Texas A&M TE Nate Boerkircher with the No. 56 overall pick in the second round of the NFL Draft back in April.

ESPN writer Seth Walder says Jaguars’ pick of TE Nate Boerkircher was most disliked move

“Where Jacksonville probably erred was the draft,” Walder wrote. “Without a first-round pick, the Jaguars spent their first selection — pick No. 56 — on Boerkircher. The pick was a reach, part of an unexpected train of blocking tight ends that went earlier than expected, which indicates bad drafting process. If the rest of the league thought he wasn’t worthy of a selection at that spot, he’s less likely to be worth it — and the Jaguars could have traded down with a decent chance of landing him later.”

Add Walder to a long list of experts who have scratched their heads over the Jags’ pick of Boerkircher late in the second round. It was Jacksonville’s first pick of the draft, with their first rounder held by the Browns through the Travis Hunter trade last year.

I will say this: the value of blocking tight ends has increased. That’s clear with the run on tight ends that Walder mentioned on Day Two of the draft. And we’ve seen tight ends get paid recently, albeit with Jacksonville helping set that trend with their recent three-year extension with Brenton Strange worth up to $48 million.

But if you’re taking a tight end with your first overall pick AND in the second round, he has to be more than a complimentary piece. He needs to be a difference maker in both the run and passing games.

Can Boerkircher be that dual threat? His college stats don’t breed confidence in that regard. Boerkircher totaled 38 catches for 417 yards and four touchdowns in five years, so whether that’s scheme or talent, we’ll find out soon.

But Boerkircher will need to hit the ground running and make an early impact to avoid those questions from continuing to persist about the Jaguars’ curious 2026 draft headliner.