The Tennessee Titans may have had a surprising 2026 NFL Draft, as the selections of Carnell Tate as high as he went and trading up for Keldric Faulk weren't expected outcomes. However, they were widely thought to have a more impressive class than the rival Jacksonville Jaguars, who saw GM James Gladstone make multiple picks that were deemed massive reaches.
The centerpiece of this poorly received class was tight end Nate Boerkircher, who Jacksonville selected at No. 56 overall despite even the most optimistic analysts out there rating him between a fourth and sixth-round pick. A video Jacksonville released will make Titans fans chuckle at how confident they were when making this move.
Gladstone said it was time to "shock the world" when Boerkircher was ready to come off the board, and coach Liam Coen managed to one-up the weird rationale by saying he had "a dream" about the Texas A&M tight end coming to Duval County. Trying to make "shocking" selections and going off stuff from a dream is likely not going to give fans a ton of confidence in this pick.
Titans fans will laugh at Jaguars' infatuation with Nate Boerkircher
Boerkircher was only picked as high as he was due to the new trend of investing heavily in a second tight end who can block. However, with just 38 career college catches (19 of which came last season) and four touchdowns in five years, the lack of production for a Top 60 pick is comical.
Not only will Boerkircher start his NFL career behind established starter Brenton Strange, but fellow rookie Tanner Koziol has been perhaps the best standout at Jags OTAs so far. With back-to-back 700-yard seasons under his belt, Koziol could push Boerkircher to TE3, making this even sweeter for Titans fans.
The Titans may let Faulk ease into life in the NFL due to how raw he is as an athlete, but both Tate and second-round linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. (picked after Boerkircher) are in line to occupy prime roles. Even fifth-round pick Fernando Carmona could make some noise on a fairly weak offensive line.
It seems unlikely that Tennessee will finish ahead of Jacksonville in the standings during the 2026 season, so Gladstone may end up getting the last laugh in that regard, but if the Jaguars get minimal production from their top rookie while names like Tate and Faulk take off, that could be a win for Borgonzi and the front office.
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