JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Nate Boerkircher's top collegiate highlight was a one-on-one matchup against Travis Hunter.
Hunter, a Colorado cornerback/receiver at the time, got a firsthand look at Boerkircher’s blocking ability in 2023. Boerkircher pushed Hunter around for 15 yards before the future Heisman Trophy winner and second overall pick by Jacksonville last year ripped off his helmet.
Now they're teammates.
The Jaguars used their first pick of the NFL draft to land the blocking tight end Friday night, grabbing him in the second round with the 54th overall selection.
"I’m excited to talk to him about that,” Boerkircher said.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Boerkircher played four seasons at Nebraska before transferring to Texas A&M. He started his college career as a walk-on and finished it with 38 receptions for 417 yards and four touchdowns. He had a career-high 19 catches last year.
The selection was an odd choice for a team in need of so much defensive help, most notably at linebacker and along the D-line.
Nonetheless, the Jaguars were looking for a tight end to play behind starter Brenton Strange. Strange is entering the final year of his rookie contract, but the team hopes to sign him to a long-term extension before the season.
The 25-year-old Boerkircher essentially gives Jacksonville a replacement for veteran Johnny Mundt, who was released in March after one season. The Jags also have Hunter Long and Quintin Morris on the roster as blocking tight ends, and Boerkircher gives them another body at a position that the Los Angeles Rams placed an emphasis on last season.
Jacksonville general manager James Gladstone and coach Liam Coen cut their teeth as part of the Rams organization, learning from GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay.
The Jaguars also hope to run the ball better next season. They ranked 20th in the league in 2025, averaging 115.1 yards a game on the ground, and ranked 27th at 4.0 yards a carry. And that was with Travis Etienne, who left in free agency.
Boerkircher should be an immediate help in that area. He also believes he has upside as a pass-catcher.
“I got a lot better, especially my last year at A&M, winning in man,” he said. That's something that I improved at a lot. I had a long way to go. I can keep improving in that area, and I have good hands and a big catch radius. I'm just a big body."
Boerkircher had no top-30 visits and no indication Jacksonville was going to pick him in the second round. When the Jaguars called, the number came up as spam. He answered anyway after consulting with his agent and now gets a reunion with Hunter.
Jacksonville traded its first-round pick in 2026 to Cleveland last year to move up three spots and draft Hunter.
“He ended up ripping my helmet off," Boerkircher recalled. "I just remember him being super cool about it, though. I remember blocking him a few plays later and we were bros again. I'm excited to meet him and figure all that out.”
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FILE - Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher (02) runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst lived up to his word and boosted the Packers' cornerback depth by selecting South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse with their opening pick in the NFL draft Friday.
The Packers, who didn’t have a first-round pick, chose Cisse in the second round at No. 52 overall. This marked the latest that Green Bay has ever made its opening pick in a draft.
Green Bay then sent a fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay to move up seven spots in the third round and take Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan at No. 77 overall.
Gutekunst said at a pre-draft news conference Tuesday that cornerback was probably the position where “we’re going to need to add the most numbers.” Green Bay lacked proven cornerbacks beyond the tandem of Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine.
Cisse is eager to show he's ready to help out. His emotional reaction to the announcement of his name was caught on camera during the draft telecast.
“It’s special,” Cisse said. “I saw the area code and I saw Green Bay Packers, and it’s like a moment come true. Just really can’t put it into words.”
Cisse said his girlfriend's family members are big Packers fans from Wisconsin, giving him plenty of familiarity with his new team.
“Just a historic tradition,” Cisse said. “Cheesehead, Go Pack Go, just a very loud stadium, Lambeau Field.”
Cisse also said he spoke briefly with Nixon, another former South Carolina player. Cisse said he planned to learn everything he could from his new teammate.
Although Cisse's college numbers don't jump off the page, the Packers believe he has plenty of qualities that should translate to the NFL.
Cisse spent last season at South Carolina after playing two years at N.C. State. The 6-footer totaled 10 pass breakups and two interceptions in three college seasons.
Packers national scout Mike Owen said he lives about 35 minutes from South Carolina's campus and spent plenty of time with Cisse.
“When you go there, they spoke highly of him in the weight room, at practice,” Owen said. “Smart kid, always watching a ton of football. Every time I went there, he was in the recruiting office watching the NFL, college or high school. That’s what I love about the kid. He really loves football at the end of the day.”
Cisse's love for football was evident from the trip he took to watch last season's NFC championship game at Seattle in person. He hopes to eventually be playing in a game with similarly high stakes.
“It’s something that you really strive for,” Cisse said. “So I look forward to it and being able to get in that kind of environment.”
The Packers got another SEC defensive player in McClellan, who started 22 games at Missouri over the last two seasons after playing for Florida from 2022-23. He recorded six sacks last season.
Green Bay wasn't picking until Friday because the Packers had sent their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to Dallas last August as part of the blockbuster trade that brought All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay.
Parsons had 12 1/2 sacks in 14 games last year before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely and likely will prevent him from being available for the start of the upcoming season.
This marked the first time Green Bay entered a draft without a first-round pick since 1986, though the Packers traded out of the first round on draft day in 2008 and 2017.
The Packers have five picks on Saturday, including two in the seventh round.
The Packers are chasing a fourth straight playoff berth after going 9-8-1 and losing 31-27 at Chicago in the NFC wild-card playoff round last season. They ended their 2025 season with five straight losses.
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FILE - South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse (15) runs drills during the school's NFL football Pro Day, March 17, 2026, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser, File)
