INDIANAPOLIS — One catch — one amazing, athletic, clutch catch — may have changed the trajectory for Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher.
Boerkircher was just an obscure transfer from Nebraska until…
He used his 6-foot-4, 250-pound body to wall off Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen and pull in a game-winning 11-yard touchdown pass.
Just like that, he got the attention of A&M football fans and NFL scouts.
“That was a great moment for me, obviously, especially coming to a new team,” Boerkircher said on Thursday. “But it really didn’t change anything. It was just a cool moment.
“I think maybe some (NFL) scouts kind of turned their heads a little bit and looked. Obviously, the fan base loved me after that. To me, that’s outside noise.”
MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE
Nate Boerkircher’s game-winning catch vs. Notre Dame helped A&M mercifully end a 14-game road losing streak against ranked opponents.
Those NFL scouts are still looking. That’s why Boerkircher was sitting at Table 1 in a ballroom at the Indianapolis Convention Center and talking about meeting with teams at the NFL Combine.
Boerkircher is a relentless hard-worker who has proved as adept at beating the odds as he was at beating Bowen.
You know the story. He received one Division II football scholarship offer out of tiny Aurora (Neb.) High School.
He instead chose to walk on at Nebraska. There, he worked his way into the lineup primarily as a blocking tight end. He caught 19 passes in four seasons in Lincoln.
Then he transferred to Texas A&M, where he figured to take on a similar low-profile role.
Until Marcel Reed lofted that pass in Boerkircher’s direction with 14 seconds remaining.
“You can put him in a lot of different positions he can succeed at … like Notre Dame,” said A&M cornerback Will Lee III, who is also at the Combine. “Nobody really knew who Nate Boerkircher was... That ball was in the air, and he went up to go get it. He blew up just simply off that. It takes just one play get your name out there, and he just went off.”
“Nobody really knew who Nate Boerkircher was... That ball was in the air, and he went up to go get it. He blew up just simply off that. It takes just one play get your name out there, and he just went off.”
- Texas A&M cornerback Will Lee III
Boerkircher went on to catch 19 passes. Three resulted in touchdowns. He also had scoring catches against Arkansas and South Carolina.
But let’s be serious. Boerkircher isn’t getting a shot in the NFL based on his receiving prowess.
He’s getting a shot because he can do a lot of things. A&M had him line up in the backfield in short-yardage situations. He even ran for a touchdown vs. LSU.
And, of course, he can really block. He’s attracted to the physicality required to play tight end.
“The best way people determine (physicality) is to move a man against his will,” Boerkircher said. “Not the easiest thing to do when you look at these D-linemen. They’re monsters. But I think it’s cool when you can technically beat somebody with leverage, even if you might not be as strong or as fast. Just with leverage and hand placement and stuff like that. That’s cool.”
NFL execs will agree. That’s why he’s here. The fact that he only had 19 receptions doesn’t matter. They see more.
Still, one of the primary topics of conversation in interviews this week is his limited stats.
“But the good thing there is tape, and if you turn it on, you’ll see I made the most of my opportunities for the most part,” Boerkircher said. “The scouts and the teams don’t just look at stats and decide, ‘Hey, this is who I want.’ There’s a lot more than that.”
That’s why he’s already formally met with the Patriots, Buccaneers and Bears. He’s informally met with every other team.
That includes the Lions, whose coach may have a certain affinity for sure-handed A&M tight ends that are enthusiastic blockers.
Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
In 48 games for Texas A&M from 1995-98, Dan Campbell caught 27 passes for 314 yards. He then played 10 years in the NFL.
“I haven’t talked to Dan Campbell yet,” Boerkircher said. “His picture is up on the wall next to the tight ends meeting room. So, I walked past that every day for a year. I hope I do get to meet him.”
Boerkircher would love to play for Campbell. Of course, he’d love to play for any NFL team.
If he gets that chance, Boerkircher just may prove to be one great catch.
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