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As it stands right now, the Green Bay Packers will be relying heavily this season on rookie tight ends, Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis are the only two experienced tight ends on the depth chart and that seasoned duo has combined for 48 career receptions.
Enter the speed and playmaking ability of the two rookie tight ends. The Packers selected Musgrave with the 42nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. It marked the highest the Packers have selected a tight end in the draft since selecting Bubba Franks with the 14th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. Brian Gutekunst followed that up by selecting Kraft with the 78th overall pick.
With snaps up for grabs, it’s safe to assume that Matt LaFleur and his coaching staff will throw the two dynamic tight ends into the deep end of the pool and see if they can swim.
“Certainly, they both look the part,” Matt LaFleur said. “They checked all those boxes.”
History suggests that the duo will face an uphill climb and won’t be betting favorites to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. In NFL History, only five rookie tight ends have caught 60 or more passes in a season.
“There’s just so much that you have to do,” LaFleur said. “So much knowledge that you have to acquire in terms of your responsibility in the running game and the passing game.”
The old saying goes, “rookie tight ends take time.” Let’s take a look at the rookie production of some recent tight ends that have been drafted in the Top 78 picks.
- Trey McBride – 29 receptions/265 yards/one touchdown – 16 games.
- Jelani Woods – 25 receptions/312 yards/three touchdowns – 15 games
- Kyle Pitts – 68 receptions/1,026 yards/one touchdown – 17 games
- Pat Freiermuth – 60 receptions/497 yards/seven touchdowns – 16 games
- Cole Kmet – 28 receptions/243 yards/two touchdowns – 16 games
Not great Bob. Now, not every situation is the same. Aside from Pitts and Freiermuth, none of these tight ends were full-time starters during their rookie campaigns. That’s not going to be the case for Musgrave and Kraft, who will be given every opportunity to make plays this season.
If Musgrave would have been healthy this past fall, the Oregon State product could have been the first tight end off the board in a loaded class that saw nine tight ends go off the board in the first three rounds.
In two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, Musgrave hauled in 11 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown. Despite only playing in two games and finishing his collegiate career with just 47 passes, Musgrave was the fourth tight end off the board, in big part because of the athletic tools that he possesses.
“He’s different,” LaFlauer said. “He’s a really, really intelligent player…He hasn’t made the same mistake twice.”
While Musgrave will be a size, speed threat, Kraft will help bring YAC back to Green Bay’s offense. The South Dakota State University product and former running back at Timber Lake High School racked up 614 yards over the catch the past two seasons (PFF).
“Tucker is very good with the ball in his hands after the catch,” Gutekunst said. “I think he has really good balance and strength to break tackles.”
It would take quite the season from Musgrave or Kraft for either one of them to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Even with snaps and targets up for grabs, neither one of them are likely to have a monster season.
However, it’s not out of the question for Musgrave to put together a season similar to Freiermuth’s rookie season. Freiermuth hauled in 60 receptions and averaged 8.3 yards per reception. It’s realistic to think that with his speed and playmaking ability that Musgrave could haul in 45 to 50 receptions and put up more yardage than Freiermuth (497).
As for Kraft, look at McBride’s production during his rookie season. Kraft will likely play second fiddle to his rookie counterpart and a season of 25 to 30 receptions for 360 yards and three touchdowns.
Regardless of the numbers that Musgrave and Kraft put up during their rookie campaigns, it’s all about getting better each day.
“That’s the biggest struggle for any rookie, transitioning in the NFL,” Kraft said. “Being consistently better, getting better at one thing every single day.”