JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …

Yeti Daddy from Somewhere and Yet Nowhere

Mighty O. Now that rookie minicamp is in the books, what is the one big takeaway Jaguars fans should hang onto — you know, besides the annual reminder that everyone looks great in shorts, present company excepted? And how might that early glimpse actually matter once the pads come on and reality replaces optimism?

This is a timely question – and with Jaguars 2026 Rookie Minicamp taking place at the Miller Electric Center this past weekend, it is reasonable to want to draw at least some small conclusion about the whos and the whats that went on there. The issue, as you note, is that this and all rookie minicamps these days are non-padded and very light in nature. Quarterbacks this past weekend threw and receivers caught passes. Impressive-looking young football players ran fast. Plays were introduced to these young players and those players lined up as if to run those plays – but there were no "real" plays and nothing resembling live action. That makes real assessment during rookie camps impossible enough that coaches and personnel people typically work hard "not" to evaluate during this period. It's orientation and nothing more. Both tight ends, Nate Boerkircher (Round 2) and Tanner Koziol (Round 5), looked good. Guard Emmanuel Pregnon (Round 3) looked big and strong, as advertised. The rookie class overall looked fine. How that will matter once the pads come on is anyone's guess, and the biggest takeaway indeed may be that present company looks great in shorts. Absolutely phenomenal, actually.

Woody from Dunlap

KOAF: Have been compiling tidbits of information from various on-line sites regarding several of our undrafted free agents. The two defensive line UDFAs (Jalen Hunt and T.J. Bolles) each have interesting/potentially valuable traits. Had Hunt (Cincinnati) been invited to the NFL Combine, his measurables would have landed him within the Top 5 defensive linemen in RAS. Bollers excelled athletically and academically at California to a level that earned him a spot in the prestigious National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame 2026 Hampshire Honor Society. Both have similar heights and weights and 40-yard times. Would you be able to speculate as to possible reasons why these two (especially Hunt) went undrafted? Kudos to the scouts for finding these young men. In the limited time and activities of minicamp, did either of them make an impression on you?

A great man once said rookie minicamps are "orientation and nothing more," so I won't insult the reader here and pretend I saw anything notable about either player this past weekend. Players go unselected in the NFL Draft for various reasons. Sometimes it's just because teams selected other players. Hunt was a sixth-year senior and will turn 25 in August, and he also has an injury history that may have hurt his draft status. That's my limited knowledge of Hunt and my knowledge of Bollers is more limited. Both have some traits in terms of size and some athleticism that might give them a chance. Stay tuned.

Joel from Yulee, FL

If I was a fan that didn't fan, would I even be a fan at all?

I am the king of all funk.

CaptBob from St Augustine (now)

KOAF, is it too late to shout out to all the suffering (some not so suffering) football widows, moms and wives for supporting us fervent fans every great or heartbreaking season? Happy Mother's Day!

Heck, no, it's never too late to shout out the moms – those who are football fans, those who are "football widows" and all points in between. Happy (Belated) Mother's Day.

Brad from The Avenues

Whoa, wait a minute. I think we are all missing the big picture here. You are saying that the chicken salad sandwich at Chick-fil-A is gone? In the 50 years since I first discovered it, that is literally – and I do know the proper use of that word – literally never tried anything else there. I loved that sandwich, and though it has been a while since I have had one. Knowing I never will have it again, that is so depressing.

Chin up.

Scott from Gilbert, AZ

Zone, what makes Bullet Bob intangibly rich in your Strings ecosystem? As a side note, should we be concerned that the only running back added in the 2026 NFL Draft was an undrafted rookie? I know that you can't tell your readers how to feel, and that being concerned can be ... well, concerning. But I think most would agree that the running back room lacks depth and would now have to be considered the weakest position group on the team. Chris Rodriguez Jr. helping the O get to second-and-5 as opposed to second-and-6 is nice, but is Bhayshul Tuten really our bell cow. Help there is not on the way, and the stated objective is to improve the run game...?

Bullet Bob is intangibly rich because it's a beautiful, hazy(ish) Indiana Pale Ale that from this view is at least the equal of any Jacksonville locally brewed IPA. On your "side" note … the Jaguars very much like their running back room and feel differently about it than many observers. I wouldn't at all agree that the room is any less or more deep than it was last season – and the Jaguars do not remotely see it as a weak area. The Jaguars see Rodriguez, Tuten and LeQuint Allen Jr. as a very good room – albeit a room that may not have, and may not need, a "bell cow." How can undrafted rookie free agent J'Mari Taylor fit? There's no reason he can't contribute in some capacity in 2026 – either on the roster or as a practice-squad player/rotation player.

Carlos from Mexico City

I would just like to caution all Jags fans who fret about Head Coach Liam Coen going for it on fourth-and-2 or 3 and "not taking the points" all the time. If you don't like it, don't watch, for it seems to me next season he is going to go for it all the time, from anywhere on the field, with a bunch of tight ends and our new big running ack. In all seriousness, I think they believe getting a couple more of those last year would have meant winning two or three more games, and that explains most of what they have done this offseason. Is that how you see it?

I agree that fans who don't like seeing Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen go for it on fourth-and-short rather than "taking the points" should probably watch something else. This is more because that sort of aggressive decision-making is Coen's norm than anything specific to the team adding players to the tight end position this offseason. The Jaguars indeed have focused on that position this offseason, just as they signed Rodriguez Jr. as part of an effort to be more consistent in the running game. I don't know that any of these moves will prompt Coen to be more aggressive in these situations. He's already very aggressive. But the Jaguars absolutely hope their offseason moves allow the Jaguars to use that aggression more successfully.

Chuck from Optimisticville

O, cool pics of the drafted guys signing their contracts with the big screen behind them. Something to share with family and friends and a memory to savor. Do the undrafted guys get the same opportunity? If not, the Jags are missing an opportunity for those guys to have an experience they may never have again.

The Jaguars do not perform this ritual for undrafted free agents. Is this a missed opportunity to give players an experience? Perhaps. At the same time, UDFAs are here trying to make the team. Achieving that goal is the experience most are seeking.

Adrian from Reading, UK

Draft grades are a measurement of one simple thing; how well do a team's selection fit with the grader's view of the value of the players. If we turn that around, surely a fair way to grade draftniks is by how well their value boards match up with how actual NFL teams saw them? With that in mind, a lot of people out there get a D- from me for their TE evaluations, and not just with the Jaguars' pick.

Fair.

Josh from Atlanta, GA

Tanner K is a big dude. I love the potential mismatches Liam can draw up with that kind of size anywhere on the field. I know they like seasoned guys with a lot of reps, I wonder if he can make a slight immediate impact in a game or two in Year 1. Should I hold my breath?

My eyes aren't what they used to be. I therefore confess that I first read this to say "I love the potential moustaches Liam can draw up" and I just sort of laughed for a while. My sense of humor and maturity level hasn't advanced all that much since the tenth grade.