Tucker Kraft is back from injury and Matt LaFleur is eager to pair him with Luke Musgrave.
The Green Bay Packers made an unusually large investment at tight end in 2023, selecting Oregon State ’s Luke Musgrave in the second round of the draft, then bringing in South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft a round later. With both players heading into their second seasons in Green Bay, head coach Matt LaFleur is excited to see that investment pay off.
Tight end discussion took up a good deal of LaFleur’s media availability on Wednesday, and Kraft, who just returned from the Physically Unable to Perform list this week, was top of mind.
“I think he’s a complete tight end and I think he’s only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of doing,” LaFleur said.
Kraft got off to a rough start as a rookie; through the first month of the season, he never played more than 13 snaps in a game and frequently looking out of place as a blocker during the handful of reps that he did get. But the third-round pick blossomed down the stretch, filling in for Musgrave as he recovered from a lacerated kidney.
In the final seven games of the season, Kraft recorded 26 catches for 312 yards and two touchdowns, only playing fewer than 90% of the snaps in a given game once.
Now, LaFleur sees big things in store for Kraft, citing a “night and day” developmental difference between where Kraft was a year ago and where he is today. And perhaps the biggest reason for his optimism is Kraft’s partnership with Musgrave.
The two 2023 draft picks were rarely an effective duo last year, due mostly to Musgrave’s injury. But now that Kraft’s torn pectoral is behind him, LaFleur sees promising things ahead for his young tight ends.
“To have both of those guys at full strength I think can definitely change the complexion of our offense.”
The different skill sets Musgrave and Kraft possess is the best part of their partnership. Musgrave, perhaps the most athletic tight end in recent Packers history next to Jermichael Finley, has field-stretching speed, and that showed up in the way the Packers used him last year. He lined up in the slot or split wide on more than 49% of his passing snaps last season and recorded an average depth of target of 7.4 yards; 13 of Musgrave’s 45 targets last season (including playoffs) came at medium or deep distances, as charted by Pro Football Focus.
Kraft, meanwhile, profiles as a classic in-line tight end. He was in the slot or out wide for just 33% of his passing snaps last season and rarely saw downfield targets. According to PFF, just five of his 39 total targets in 2023 were at medium or deep distances, giving him an average depth of target of just 5.3 yards — the second-lowest figure among all Packers receivers and tight ends.
If the Packers can find ways to marry those two skill sets, they’ll have a truly dangerous duo on their hands. Couple that with a deep and talented group of wide receivers and an ascending quarterback, and it’s easy to see why LaFleur is excited about what’s in store for the Packers’ offense in 2024.
Continue Reading @ Jon Meerdink
Jon Meerdink wrote: