JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Tight end was the hot position group in 2025, and based on last weekend's NFL draft it looks like it'll be even hotter in 2026.
Twenty-two tight ends were selected -- including a common-draft-era-high 17 in the first five rounds, per ESPN Research -- as teams try to copy the success the position had in 2025 with more multiple tight end sets and a higher target percentage.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were among the league's most tight-end friendly teams last season. General manager James Gladstone and coach Liam Coen want that to be an even bigger priority in 2026, which is why they were one of five teams to draft two: Texas A&M's Nate Boerkircher and Houston's Tanner Koziol.
"That was rooted in our own internal sentiment and understanding that the trend in the NFL was that heavier tight end sets was going to be something that got prioritized, and we felt certainly a heavier tight end run throughout the course of the back end of the second into the third [was coming]," Gladstone said. "Typically, that's a window where the wide receiver run is really occurring. I think that [the tight end run] certainly showed itself."
The Jaguars loved Boerkircher and didn't want to risk him not being available when it was their turn to pick in the third round, so Gladstone selected him 56th overall, a move which numerous draft analysts criticized heavily as a multiple-round reach. But Gladstone and Coen saw the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Boerkircher as a very good blocker, an underrated receiver and the perfect complement for starter Brenton Strange.
How much did the Jaguars like Boerkircher?
"I did have a vision, at night, so I guess it's a dream, that we were taking him," Coen said. "I don't remember where it was at or what pick or anything, I just remember that it was somebody that we have had a lot of like for for a long time, and then you saw that run of tight ends go, so kind of glad we did it."
Coen prefers bigger tight ends that can block and catch. Boerkircher said his 38 career catches in five seasons (four at Nebraska) isn't the full picture of what he can do there.
"I think I have a lot of potential in the passing game," he said. "I've made big plays in my career. I haven't always had the most production, but when the ball comes my way, I usually have been able to capitalize.
"...Very versatile offense [at Texas A&M], kind of pro-style. We did a lot of things. We moved the tight ends around. We had a lot of weapons KC [Concepcion], Mario [Craver], all those guys. And so, yeah, I wasn't a main threat in the passing game but like I said, we had a very versatile offense. I had a massive route tree for a tight end, so absolutely loved it."
Koziol is at the other end of the production spectrum. He was an accomplished receiver in three seasons at Ball State and one at Houston: 237 passes for 2,234 yards and 24 touchdowns. His 74 catches last season were the most by any FBS tight end and his 168 catches the past two seasons were the most by any FBS player.
The 6-foot-6, 247-pounder is a former wide receiver and he regularly lined up in the slot, so the Jaguars can use him as a move tight end in multiple tight end formations.
"Obviously, what I do in the red zone and what I do in the pass game is very good," he said. "[At the] Senior Bowl I really wanted to put on film that I could move people, that I want to be in the run game, that I'm very willing and I need to be coached up some more and I'm going to continue to work on that."
The addition of Boerkircher and Koziol gives the Jaguars five tight ends heading into OTAs. The Jaguars have already said they're working on an extension for Strange and they re-signed Quintin Morris to a one-year deal in March. Hunter Long is also entering the final year of his contract.
It was a historic season for tight ends in 2025. According to ESPN Research, there were 1,845 plays run league-wide with three or more tight ends on the field, including an NFL-high 331 by the Los Angeles Rams. NFL tight ends combined to catch 2,870 passes last season, the most by that position group in NFL history, per ESPN Research.
The Jaguars hope the re-vamped tight end room will allow them to run more multiple tight end sets this season. They ran 202 snaps with two tight ends on the field and 31 snaps with three tight ends on the field and Jaguars tight ends combined for 102 catches, which was the 10th most in the NFL last season.
"As the trends across the NFL begin to show themselves, not only over the last season but the back half of the season and what we anticipate being big pieces to the puzzle over the course of this next season, I think that was a real reflection of the decisions that we made [in the draft] and the positions and players that we prioritized," Gladstone said.