The surprising emergence of Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher continued on Friday when he was selected in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft by Jacksonville.
The Jaguars selected the Aggies with the 56th overall pick.
Boerkircher is only the second A&M tight end to be drafted since the Aggies entered the Southeastern Conference in 2012.
Jace Sternberger was taken in the third round of the 2019 draft by the Green Bay Packers.
Like Sternberger, Boerkircher was a transfer who was a significant contributor to the Aggies’ success in the one season he played for A&M.
In four previous collegiate seasons at Nebraska, the 6-foot-5 and 245-pounder caught just 19 passes for 219 yards and one touchdown.
In his lone A&M season, he caught 19 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns. That included the 14-yard touchdown catch in the final seconds that lifted A&M to a 41-40 victory over Notre Dame.
His other touchdown grabs were against Arkansas and South Carolina.
Further, Boerkircher proved to be an effective blocker. He also carried the football three times for five yards, including a one-yard touchdown plunge vs. LSU.
