Count left guard Elgton Jenkins among the Green Bay Packers veterans excited about the elite speed of rookie tight end Luke Musgrave and rookie receiver Jayden Reed.
Jenkins joined other offensive teammates, such as Jordan Love and Aaron Jones, in amazement of the way the two rookie pass-catchers move on the football field.
“Man, I was looking at Luke Musgrave and Jayden Reed a lot. Our weapons, man, they got some serious speed, Jayden and Luke,” Jenkins said on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” on Monday, via NFL.com. “Just being able to see them out there running and getting vertical up the field, running routes and stuff like that, it really put a smile on my face. I’m ready to see what’s in store for those guys. I feel like the future’s bright for those guys. … Luke Musgrave and Jayden Reed, I’ve got a lot of high expectations for those guys in Year 1, for sure.”
Both Musgrave and Reed were second-round picks of the Packers in the 2023 draft.
Musgrave ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds, which puts him in the top 94th percentile for speed at his size at tight end, per Relative Athletic Score. His 10-yard split was 1.54 seconds, good for the 98th percentile and highlighting his receiver-like burst. At the Senior Bowl, GPS tracking had Musgrave as one of the fastest players at the event despite weighing over 250 pounds.
Matt LaFleur called Musgrave’s speed an “elite” trait.
Reed also impressed the Packers with straight-line speed. His 4.45-second 40-yard dash time at the combine wasn’t necessarily elite, but the Packers said they clocked him at under 4.4. Acceleration is one of his top traits.
“He’s fast, quick in and out of his breaks,” Packers personnel executive Jon-Eric Sullivan said after the draft.
While young and inexperienced, the Packers’ group of receivers and tight ends is nothing if not fast. Musgrave and Reed are flashing top speed, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs both have terrific deep speed, and rookie Tucker Kraft posted strong speed numbers at the combine. Can being fast all over the field help Jordan Love and the Packers overcome some of the growing pains associated with such a young group at receiver and tight end?
