This offseason, the Green Bay Packers were highly intentional with their tight end group, which needed a complete renovation. They let go of Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis, who both ended up with the Chicago Bears. Green Bay also used two Day 2 draft picks on the position, securing Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. The second-rounder, in particular, has a real shot to make an immediate impact — maybe even a historic one.
Teams tend to be cautious with rookie tight ends. Among all positions except quarterback, this is probably the most intense transition from college to the NFL. Young tight ends have to learn routes and concepts, in-line protections, and run-blocking. It’s a versatile, challenging position. That’s why only two tight ends in NFL history have surpassed 1,000 yards in their first years in the league: Mike Ditka (1,076) for the Chicago Bears in 1961, and Kyle Pitts (1,026) for the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. No other tight end tallied more than 900 yards as a rookie.
However, Musgrave has a real shot to be a significant contributor immediately, and there’s reason to believe he will break Packers records at the position. So far, just one Packers rookie tight end has surpassed 300 receiving yards: Bubba Franks (363) in 2000. Two others, Andrew Quarless (238) in 2010 and Richard Rodgers (225) in 2014, went beyond 200 yards. If Musgrave is able to stay healthy, he will have the opportunity to top all these players.
Ability
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein compared Musgrave to Dallas Goedert. “Musgrave has starter potential,” he wrote, “and should gain a coveted slot on draft boards from teams looking to add versatility to their 12-personnel.”
According to Damian Parson from The Draft Network, there’s a series of reasons to like the new Packers tight end as a passing option.
Musgrave brings a big, athletic option in the passing game to an offense. Musgrave is alignment-fluid and versatile. If your offense wants to place him in-line as a traditional Y-tight end or split him into the slot, he can operate both well. As a pass-catcher, Musgrave has secure and reliable hands. He tracks the ball well and attacks it at the highest point.
The Packers limit videos from training camp, but Family Night was a special opportunity to watch what he can do. First, on one-on-one drills, he made Darnell Savage look small and slow.
Later, on 11-on-11, Musgrave flashed as a middle-of-the-field target, getting wide open for a chunk play on the two-minute drill, opening the door for a touchdown drive.
Confidence from the coaching staff
Matt LaFleur rarely trusts rookies immediately. His coaching staff had Lane Taylor over Elgton Jenkins in 2019, Kevin King over Eric Stokes in 2021, and Dean Lowry over Devonte Wyatt last season. But it came immediately for Musgrave. He was TE1 since OTAs and entering training camp.
When the Packers released their first unofficial depth chart on Tuesday, he was listed as the starter. It’s clear that the staff believes he can be a contributor, even as a rookie.
“He continues to show progress every day and, certainly, he does have an elite trait that he can flat fly,” LaFleur said. “He’s a big, long target. We’re really excited about him and the progress he’s made up to this point, and we’ve got to continue to push him.”
His speed is so impressive that LaFleur mentioned during an interview for the NFL Network that Musgrave was tracked by GPS as the fastest player on the Packers’ offense — a unit that includes Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Aaron Jones.
Target of opportunity
The Packers lost many veteran options this year. For instance, tight end Robert Tonyan had 67 targets last season, third on the team behind Allen Lazard (who also left in free agency) and Aaron Jones. Combining players who are not on the roster anymore at every position, Green Bay has lost 258 targets from 2022. So they will have to replace those, and the team hasn’t added any free agents.
It’s fair to argue the Packers could lean into running the ball more in 2023 without Aaron Rodgers. However, the veteran quarterback already had the fewest attempts among players, with 17 starts. So, even if they do become more run-heavy, it won’t be a stark difference.
Therefore, the targets will go to developing second-year players like Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, but also the rookies. And as a full-time starting tight end, Musgrave will have plenty of opportunities — especially with Jordan Love, who’s been more willing than Rodgers to exploit the middle of the field.
It would be unfair to put absurd expectations over a rookie tight end, particularly because Luke Musgrave missed most of his last college season because of injury. However, the Packers trust that he can be a difference-maker from the get-go, and we have to believe the signs they are sending.
