Processing / Game IQ
Pros:
•Flows well and finds soft spots in the zone
•Scouts rave about his work ethic
Cons:
•Was confused by blocking assignments at times
Route Running / Catching
Pros:
•Decent cutting ability during his routes
•Makes great hand catches
•Pretty solid at chipping and getting out to the flats
•Decent breakdown at the top of his routes
•Utilized head fakes on occasion
Cons:
•Lacks a release against soft press or hard presses
•Rarely creates separation
•Lacks any true route nuance
YAC / RAC Ability
Pros:
•None
Cons:
•Goes down on first contact majority of the time
•Rarely rips off chunk plays
•Never showed any juking ability
Blocking
Pros:
•Flashed the ability to be strong at the POA and run blocking in general
•Decent on split blocks and in pass pro
•Great effort
•Has shown he can seal off guys well occasionally
Cons:
•Places hands outside the shoulder pads too often
•Weak at the POA at times
Physicality
Pros:
•Never showed any jump ball or true ability to battle through contact
Cons:
•Can tend to catch defenders rather than attack them when blocking
•Simply can’t absorb a hit and gets driven back at the POA
•Doesn’t use his frame to seal off defenders to open throwing lanes
Athleticism / Frame
Pros:
•8.86 RAS Score
•Pretty tall at 6’5 ½”
•Pretty meh arm length at 32 ⅝”
•Very big hands at 10 ½” inches
•4.78 40 time is slightly above average
•32-inch vertical is average
•Really solid 3-cone drill 7.03 seconds
Cons:
•Pretty underweight at 245lbs
•4.40 shuttle 43rd percentile shows below average agility
•Athleticism is far from elite
•Some stiffness in his movement
•Lacks separating speed and short area quickness
Versatility
Pros:
•Can line up in the slot
•Got motioned around a fair amount
•Played in line and at wing back
Cons:
•None
Games Watched:
Week 1 vs UTSA, Week 3 vs ND, Week 4 vs AUB, Week 6 vs FLA, Week 8 vs MIZ, Week 9 vs SC
Ideal Situation:
•Nate Boerkircher has a big frame and the build to be a blocking TE if he fills out his frame. At the moment, he is very raw, and there isn’t anything that really stands out about his game. I don’t really understand how he was a second-round pick. For someone who has never had a receiving season with over 200 yards, picking someone so early is a big risk to me. Even if he can become a really good blocking TE, I would argue the value still isn’t there, as you can sign a good veteran blocking TE in the FA market pretty much at any time. Boerkircher stands at 6’5 ½”, with long arms and big hands. His frame obviously stands out. In terms of route running, he is great at finding soft spots in the zone and has shown decent cutting ability. Boerkircher also makes fantastic hands catches and makes slightly off-target throws look easy to haul in. Nate Boerkircher’s bread and butter is blocking, and he was able to execute some solid blocks. He showed he can be strong at the POA, can seal guys off, and played with great effort. Boerkircher was used in a ton of ways and offers a lot of alignment versatility. He can play in the slot, split out wide, get motioned a ton, and line up at wing back. Now, Boerkircher does have plenty of things to work on, especially if he is gonna be the TE2 for the Jaguars. Boerkircher struggled to pick up the right assignment at times. He also lacks true route nuance and was rarely able to create any significant separation. Boerkircher also had plenty of bad plays where he was unable to sustain blocks and was weak at the POA. Boerkircher at times looked hesitant before a big block, and he ended up catching rather than delivering hits. I also never saw him use his frame to his advantage in the route-running or contested-catch game. Nate Boerkircher was drafted in the second round, pick 24, by the Jacksonville Jaguars and currently projects as the TE2 behind Brenton Strange. He will earn his reps in the NFL by being a gritty blocking TE, but I still need to see more from him, especially on the production side of things. Boerkircher is also 24, about to turn 25 in September, which limits his ceiling slightly. Boerkircher in college never had any major injuries. I think this pick is extremely risky and simply not one I would have made if I were the Jaguars. A soon-to-be 25-year-old blocking TE with no production to go off isn’t worthy of a second-round pick in my opinion.
Rating
•Processing / Game IQ – 6.8/10
•Route Running / Catching – 7.2/10
•YAC / RAC Ability – 5.5/10
•Blocking – 7.2/10
•Physicality – 5.7/10
•Athleticism / Frame – 6.8/10
•Versatility – 8.5/10
Total = 66.9/100 (D) Mid 5th
DraftedR2 • P24Jacksonville Jaguars