General manager Brian Gutekunst would have been fine taking Tucker Kraft in the second round. But with Luke Musgrave on the board, he had to take the guy with overwhelming speed for his size. The Green Bay Packers management couldn’t believe when Kraft was still available when they picked in the third round, and the opportunity was too good to pass up, even if it meant taking two tight ends on day 2.
If there was a redraft, the Packers would certainly have taken Kraft over Musgrave now. And this tells you much more about Kraft than it does about Musgrave. The third-rounder became one of the primary pieces of Matt LaFleur’s offense, and that’s the point. He is the perfect fit for what LaFleur philosophically wants to implement.
So far this season, Tucker Kraft is seventh among tight ends in receiving yards. He is only ten yards behind Travis Kelce and seven behind George Kittle. Among tight ends with at least five catches, he leads the NFL in yards per reception — thanks to his ability to generate yards after the ball touches his hands.
This is actually crazy, by the way. Kraft averages 13.6 yards per reception, 11.5 of which come after the catch. He is a post-reception machine. That makes a quarterback’s life much easier, and Kraft generates a 130.8 passer rating when targeted.
“Every time he touches the ball, he has that mindset that he’s trying to score,” quarterback Jordan Love said in the locker room. “He’s not going to go down lightly. He’s going to run people over and stay up.”
That’s how he scored the first of his two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Easy throw for Love, many yards after the catch, 66-yard touchdown for the Packers.
Kraft also brings alignment versatility. Much better than Luke Musgrave as a blocker, he has 82 snaps in line, 44 in the slot, and even 19 out wide.
“I just love his evolution, not only in the passing game, but as a run blocker,” head coach Matt LaFleur mentioned. “The physicality he plays with.”
When the Packers took two tight ends in 2023, it was hard not to be excited about what Musgrave brought to the table. The second-rounder was a starter from day 1 and was on pace to break franchise rookie records until he got injured. When Musgrave was healthy again, Kraft had overtaken his spot.
Now, Musgrave can still have a role as a receiving option. But the fact that Kraft can do anything from the tight end position is exactly what Matt LaFleur wants at that position.
“It’s a lot of mentality. It’s making sure that you’re doing the little things the correct way,” LaFleur added. “One thing we always stress is getting the ball in your outside arm. When you’re along the sidelines, that allows you to use the stiff-arm. Sometimes, you see guys put the ball in their inside arm. That leaves the ball susceptible to getting punched out. But you also lose your ability to use the stiff-arm. It’s a combination of mentality, the skill-set, and making sure that you’re using correct fundamentals.”
The third-round curse is completely over for Brian Gutekunst now, and Tucker Kraft has what it takes to help the offense achieve a new level in 2024.
