Boerkircher’s dream a phone call away

Nate Boerkircher is a bit hit and miss with checking his phone on the regular. He’ll have an extra set of eyes on the dial this weekend if necessary.
The former Aurora Husky is hopeful for one of the most important phone calls of his life days from now, though he has no idea when or if it will ring.
Boerkircher’s pro football future should have an answer by the weekend with the NFL draft starting Thursday and running through Saturday. 
During a phone conversation last week, Boerkircher said he has no idea how this week will play out, he’s just excited for the opportunity to see his football dreams realized yet again.
“I’m just going to see what happens and I’m just happy and blessed to be where I’m at,” Boerkircher said. “This is all definitely a dream come true. You have to stop and smell the roses a little bit in this process and it’s all just flown by. I’ve thought about how far I’ve come from a walk-on to playing for six years. I’m just trying to take it all in.”
After Boerkircher played in his final college football game for Texas A&M last December, an opening-round College Football Playoff loss to Miami, the former Husky moved to the Dallas area to begin pre-draft training.
During his training efforts, Boerkircher suffered a bit of a setback with a calf issue, which hampered some of his preparation for the NFL combine.
Because of the injury, Boerkircher wasn’t 100 percent at the combine and did not do all of the tests there. For example, he did not run the 40 yard dash there, but was able to do so at the Texas A&M pro day just a few weeks later.
“I’ve been blessed to meet a lot of good people,” Boerkircher said. “I had a lot of people at A&M who I feel prepared me tremendously for the mental aspect of things.”
The NFL combine was a whirlwind few days for Boerkircher, including a never-ending list of medical exams and tests before what he called his first real-life job interviews.
During that time, Boerkircher had formal interviews with the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Boerkircher noted that there are different types of interviews during the combine, both formal and informal. As he explained, the informal interviews are short, around 15 minutes or so and not quite as stressful.
“Teams would maybe put you through a quick offensive play install and then you have to repeat it at the end,” Boerkircher recalled. 
As for the formal interviews, he said those were much more like a job interview and were vastly different from team to team. He pointed out some of them were stressful, others were more football focused while some featured personal background insights and stories. 
“It was definitely pretty stressful,” Boerkircher admitted. “Each team has their own setup and there’s a bunch of representatives from that team. That was my first job interview but it was a great opportunity to meet a lot of good people and present myself to them.”
Boerkircher recalled his meeting with the Patriots, one that included head coach Mike Vrabel in the proceedings. 
“He has a great energy to him and made the interview very interesting,” Boerkircher said. 
One of the things that Boerkircher admitted as probably the biggest adjustment was the football itself.
Throughout the pre-draft process, Boerkircher has been getting used to “The Duke,” the official football used in the NFL.
The Duke is a slightly larger and longer football than ones used in college and are also missing the signature white stripes on either end. 
“They’re a lot different,” Boerkircher said of the NFL balls. “They float differently in the air. I struggled with it right away and it was an adjustment, but I’ve gotten used to it. I think it’s definitely an easier ball to catch and easier to throw.”

Senior Bowl and pro day
Boerkircher was also given the opportunity to display his talents at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., in late January.
During one of the one-on-one drills, Boerkircher made a viral clip with a display of his catching ability, going up and winning a 50/50 ball over the defender. 
“I got to make some connections with a lot of great talent and coaches,” Boerkircher said. “It was only two days of practice but I learned a lot and played some great competition.”
Boerkircher admitted one of the biggest things for him to accomplish through the Senior Bowl was to put his talent on display against everyone else.
He pointed out that most people have seen and understand the talent Boerkircher carries in the physical aspect, including but not limited to his blocking ability.
It’s been his goal throughout the pre-draft process to show that his hands and pass-catching ability are on that same level.
“I really wanted to have good one-on-one reps at the Senior Bowl,” Boerkircher said. “People are confident in my blocking ability but they also wanted to see my receiving ability and if I can get separation. I think I did well in that area.”
Texas A&M hosted its pro day March 25 and with several NFL draft hopefuls from Aggieland, all 32 teams were in attendance.
During those exercises, Boerkircher was officially listed at 6’5-1/2 as well as 245 pounds. His official 40-time was 4.78 seconds with a vertical jump of 32 inches.
“There were a lot of eyes on us,” Boerkircher said of pro day. “It felt like a mini combine. I was fortunate to meet with some coaches there and I felt like I tested well.”
Since the combine and his pro day, Boerkircher has also been busy traveling and visiting teams ahead of the draft. 
Those have included visits to the Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. Boerkircher also had a visitor when he was in College Station with representatives from the Los Angeles Rams. 
As for what those visits look like, Boerkircher pointed out that those are also pretty stressful, flying in, meeting with a ton of different folks from the organization and husting back out again.
“You go around and meet with everyone from the position coaches to the offensive coordinator, strength trainers and sports psychs,” he said. “Then the head coach and general manager, too. They’re looking to see if you fit their culture. You just go in and present yourself and I’m confident it will all work out.”

‘I’m blessed’
Incredibly, Boerkircher pointed out that he played in every college football game he possibly could have. 
In other words, he never missed one due to injury in his time both at Nebraska and Texas A&M. 
In all, that included 52 games across five seasons. He played three games for the Huskers in 2021, which kept him under the four-game threshold to not burn his redshirt.
From there, he played in 49 consecutive games over the next four seasons, three at Nebraska and the final at Texas A&M.
“That’s pretty remarkable,” Boerkircher said. “I’m definitely blessed in that area.”
Going into the weekend, Boerkircher has zero expectations on what round he could hear his name or what team would show up on the caller ID.
He’s just excited to even have the opportunity, something that he’s thought about a lot recently leading up to this point. 
“No one really knows what’s going to happen until it happens,” Boerkircher said. “Anything can go down. I really don’t think even the teams know. They have an idea about where people will go but nothing is for sure.”
It’s not lost on his mind that he’s got a couple friends he grew up around who have had similar experiences and offered some advice.
Former Husky Austin Allen went through the NFL draft process in 2022 and although didn’t hear his name in the seven rounds, was picked up by the New York Giants and spent a couple years in the league before a retirement from football in 2024. 
“Football wise, I learned a ton from Oz,” Boerkircher said. “He had little tricks in his game that I still use. Then his draft experience was a huge help for me with what to expect and all that.”
That same year, Baylor Scheierman was the 30th overall pick in the NBA draft to the Boston Celtics. Scheierman is in his second year with the organization and in the rotation for the Celtics’ current playoff run.
“Baylor, man,” Boerkircher said with a sense of astonishment. “I have been watching him and it’s super cool to see everything he’s accomplished. He’s one of those guys we all knew would make it. It’s so cool to see him put on a show.”