The Jaguars Take ANOTHER Rookie TE in Tanner Koziol

By Shane Hallam | Updated on Sat, Apr 25 2026 7:08 PM UTC

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Houston TE Tanner Koziol in Round 5 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Koziol was one of the most productive TEs in college football over the past two seasons. In fact, his 168 receptions were tops among all FBS players. Koziol posted a 94-839-8 line at Ball State in 2024, leading the team in all three categories. He took a step up in competition at Houston last year and pumped out 74 catches for 727 yards and 6 TDs. Koziol’s 27.7% dominator rating (share of team’s receiving yards + TDs) led the top 27 TEs in this year’s class. His 2.26 yards per route ranked second to only Eli Stowers. Koziol didn’t do much work downfield in college, with a career 8.1-yard average target depth. But he caught over 70% of his targets and scored on 10% of his receptions. Koziol checked in at 6’7, 247 pounds at the Combine and earned a 9.58 Relative Athletic Score. He checks a ton of boxes and is one of our favorite sleepers in this TE class.

What They're Saying

Draft Sharks Rookie Guide: “Koziol ranked top-8 among TEs in yards per route and Pro Football Focus receiving grade in 2025. His size and production make him an intriguing later-round flier in rookie drafts.”

2026 Fantasy Football Impact

The Jaguars selected TE Nate Boerkircher in Round 2 and followed it up with Koziol in the fifth.

Koziol offers the receiving upside with his production at both Ball State and Houston. But, he will have an uphill climb to ascend the depth chart and be fantasy relevant.

Brenton Strange will likely remain the starting TE.

Koziol shouldn’t be considered in redraft.

Dynasty Impact

The dynasty potential for Koziol is a bit more intriguing.

Strange is set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. That opens the door for Boerkircher and Koziol to develop into a starting tandem for the Jaguars.

Koziol could become the receiving threat while Boerkircher settles into the blocking threat in 12 personnel.

In deep TE Premium drafts, Koziol should be considered. He can even be stashed in deep leagues without the premium in case he wins the job in 2027.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format, including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance. He led the industry in 2024 preseason Kicker Rankings and ranked second in preseason QB Rankings. He also ranked eighth in preseason IDP rankings.