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Fortune favors the bold, right?
The good news is that a handful of teams every year prove to be ahead of the curve, both schematically and in terms of roster building. In an age of analytical arms races, the smartest teams are often a step ahead.
The bad news is that every shocking selection carries this same optimism, and it rarely works out.
On Friday, the Jacksonville Jaguars made their first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they cared not for consensus.
Jacksonville shocked the football world
With the 56th overall pick in the second round, Jacksonville took Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher.
If you haven't heard of him, fear not, you almost certainly aren't alone. On Wide Left's consensus board, Boerkircher ranked 163rd! That makes him the consensus's 12th-ranked tight end,
Boerkircher was a Day 3 pick on seemingly everyone's board, and for good reason. As a redshirt senior, he set a career high in receiving yards: 198. This was a pick made to improve the run game by any means necessary.
Once again, the Jacksonville Jaguars are not afraid to be bold. A year ago, they traded a king's ransom for the rights to take cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter. They claimed he'd change the game, and that being a full-time player at multiple spots was indeed possible.
At least in his rookie season, it wasn't. And heading into Year 2, Hunter will primarily be playing just one side of the ball.
This feels rather similar, shooting for an aspirational goal that much of the league is far too risk-averse to attempt.
MORE: Why Eagles' Makai Lemon move is the perfect Howie Roseman pick
None of this is particularly surprising, given general manager James Gladstone's history. A former Los Angeles Rams front office member, he all but graduated from the school of Les Snead, who famously traded first-round picks like baseball cards. Eventually, it paid off out west.
Snead is never afraid to be aggressive. Gladstone's boldness defines his regime. They took a risk on Hunter, and later in the draft with two reaches in Round 3. Despite Jacksonville's success a season ago, little can be attributed to its rookie class.
This time around, the Jaguars are bucking multiple trends in Round 2, a selection magnified by the Hunter trade costing so much capital. Boerkircher is a blocking-first tight end (and a good one at that) who isn't going to impact the passing game. He's an older prospect, has never produced as a receiver, and his size doesn't guarantee that he translates on early downs. At 245 pounds, there's some projection in his blocking, even if it headlines his profile.
As such, Boerkircher was hardly meant to be a top-100 pick. History isn't kind to these types of reaches, but if the Jaguars' rushing attack makes a difference in January, it'll be Gladstone -- and his fearlessness -- who reaps the benefits.
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