Green Bay Packers rookie tight end Tucker Kraft has been building momentum over the last week of practices heading into the team’s first preseason game with Cincinnati.
Kraft’s best performance of the summer came during the Packers’ annual Family Night practice. In that setting, we saw him make a few receptions, including one in the red zone, another that was contested, and a third where he was able to showcase his YAC ability. Kraft also threw some key blocks in the run game as well.
With Josiah Deguara sidelined for three-plus practices with a calf injury, Kraft also saw more snaps with the starting offense as well, often utilized as the second tight end next to Luke Musgrave when the Packers are in 12 personnel, which has been quite often this summer.
“Right now, I feel like I’m understanding things big picture,” said Kraft via Packers.com. “But right now really just nailing the little things, there’s things I can still clean up. But I do really feel like I’m coming along as an athlete in this offense.”
With Musgrave’s ability to impact the passing game, we may see Kraft utilized more often early on as an inline blocker, although he can impact both the running and passing games. During his time at South Dakota State, Kraft was very good at picking up yards after the catch, averaging a whopping 8.0 yards after the catch in 2022 on 29 receptions and 5.8 yards in 2021 on 59 receptions.
Having that well-rounded skill set, able to impact both the running and passing games, will add a level of unpredictability to the Packers’ offense. It will allow Kraft to fill a number of roles, resulting in the offense being able to run a variety of plays from just a few personnel packages. This will help create mismatches, not only for Kraft but for others in the offense, and make it more difficult for the defense to decipher pre-snap what Kraft’s responsibilities are, along with the overall concept the Packers offense is running.
The Packers released their unofficial depth chart on Tuesday with Kraft as the third tight end behind Musgrave and Tyler Davis, with Josiah Deguara listed as a fullback. At this time of the year, we need to take the depth chart with a grain of salt as there is still a lot to be determined in the coming weeks, but based on what I’ve seen in practice, Kraft’s spot behind those two makes sense. Musgrave has been the clear first tight end option since OTAs and is going to play a big role in the passing game. Davis, meanwhile, has been the most consistent blocker at the position.
With that said, Kraft is certainly going to have a role on this team as a rookie. I think right now, however, the question is how big, and that’s dependent on how he continues to develop over the coming weeks and into the regular season.
As Matt LaFleur has spoken about on several occasions, outside of quarterback, the tight end position comes with the second-most difficult jump from college to the NFL on the offensive side of the ball because of all the responsibilities that come with the role. Kraft, however, along with Musgrave, are going to have the chance to make an impact right away with all of the playing time available, given how inexperienced this position group is.
There are likely to be some ups and downs along the way, which we have seen some of in the form of missed blocks and dropped passes from both rookies. However, the upside and potential in this tight end room is clear as day as well, and so is the progress Kraft has made.
“It doesn’t matter who’s on the field,” said Kraft, “as long as I’m getting reps at my position, I’m learning. I’m learning how to get better technique. How to plan better for different scenarios and rep for rep, I feel like I just get more confident.”
