Story perspectives

Jaguars select TE Boerkircher at 56, add RB Tuten.

4/26/2026

Summary

Jaguars Draft Boerkircher

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected tight end Nate Boerkircher with the 56th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Although analysts praised his blocking and hands, others projected him to be chosen much later.
General manager James Gladstone received credit for meeting the team’s biggest needs despite the unconventional tight-end selection.
The Jaguars drafted running back Bhayshul Tuten in the third round, expecting his lanes to expand from Boerkircher’s blocking.

Summary

Jaguars Target Tough

Coach Liam Coen said the Jaguars targeted “tough” mindset players in Day 2 picks.
General manager James Gladstone said the shift to heavier tight ends led to picking 6-foot-5, 245-lb Nate Boerkircher at No. 56, keeping the original slot.
Gladstone noted the NFL’s trend toward larger rosters prompted selecting safety Jalen Huskey for size and versatility.
Coen praised Albert Regis’s intelligence and called Emmanuel Pregnon a “mass-inside” piece to bulk the line.

Summary

Jaguars Draft Guard

Jacksonville selected Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon at No. 88 overall in the 2026 draft, its third Oregon player ever and highest-selected Oregon guard since 1995.
The pick ends a 23-year gap since tight end Georgie Wrightster was taken in the fourth round in 2003.
Jacksonville holds eight picks (Nos. 100, 124, 164, 166, 203, 233, 240, 245) to add depth, including Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher and defensive tackle Albert Regis.

Summary

Jaguars Draft Wait

Jacksonville entered the 2026 NFL Draft without a first-round pick for the first time in its 32-year history.
Head coach Liam Coen said his longest draft wait was in 2022 with the Rams, when his first selection came at No. 104.
Nate Boerkircher became Jacksonville’s first second-round tight end since Brenton Strange (No. 61, 2023), while the team’s 2024 selection of defensive lineman Maason Smith at No. 48 reflected a recent interior-line focus.

History

Historical Context

The NFL awarded Jacksonville a franchise on Nov 30 1993; owners voted 26-2 to add the 30th team, and on Feb 15 1995 the Jaguars selected 31 players in the expansion draft, taking quarterback Steve Beuerlein first. Decades later, GM James Gladstone’s No. 56 pick of tight end Nate Boerkircher in the 2026 draft echoes the original strategy of building depth through unconventional selections.

1 of 5

Jaguars Draft Boerkircher

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected tight end Nate Boerkircher with the 56th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Although analysts praised his blocking and hands, others projected him to be chosen much later.
General manager James Gladstone received credit for meeting the team’s biggest needs despite the unconventional tight-end selection.
The Jaguars drafted running back Bhayshul Tuten in the third round, expecting his lanes to expand from Boerkircher’s blocking.

1 / 5