Grading the Green Bay Packers 2023 rookie class after first season
Luke Musgrave
Grade: B
Round 2 (42nd overall)
Had it not been for a late-season injury that held Musgrave out for all but one more game, he was set to coast past Bubba Franks's rookie record for receiving yards by a tight end (363). Ultimately, Musgrave came up 11 yards short, but he certainly lived up to his second-round draft status. If he had just learned how to stay on his feet earlier on, in what's become a running joke in the Packers locker room, he would have blown past the record.
His 34 receptions were the most from the position since 2020, and he has instantly become one of the best separators in football. Per Daire Carragher of the Packers Report, Musgrave led all NFL pass catchers in average yards of separation this season (4.5). It's a brutal task to ask a linebacker to cover Musgrave unless they have special speed for the position.
It finally seems like the Packers have hit on their tight end of the future, something they've been searching for since losing Jermichael Finley to injury in 2013.
Musgrave looks nowhere close to a fully molded project; thus, he still has room to improve and develop. He's a willing blocker and was surprisingly efficient as a pass catcher, with only two drops on the season. His draft grade could very easily be an A had it not been for a shortened season; he's already proven to be the field stretcher the Packers drafted him to be.
Tucker Kraft
Grade: B
Round 3 (78th overall)
Speaking of tight ends who could also have easily been an A grade had it not been for a limited role. Kraft actually out-snapped Musgrave by 153 snaps this season and might be the one who breaks the Packers' third-round draft pick curse.
Kraft is a menace on the football field, always looking to go over or through a defender. There is no running out of bounds with him. He's instantly become a fan favorite and a perfect pairing for a Wisconsin fan base.
Kraft finished with 31 catches on the year but, even with Musgrave returning from injury, remained heavily involved as the lone tight end and as the team gradually deployed more 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends).
He and Musgrave will have prominent roles in the offense going forward as both present matchup problems for defenses with their size, speed, and athleticism. A pairing that already looks like a power duo across the NFL; it will be exciting to get an entire season of both players fully integrated into the offense.