Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis currently sit atop Green Bay’s tight-end depth chart. That duo has combined for 48 career receptions.
With Jordan Love set to embark on his first season as a starter, the Packers need to surround him with playmakers and given the state of Green Bay’s tight end room, it’s reasonable to expect Brian Gutekunst to select a tight end early in the 2023 NFL Draft.
A player that Gutekunst could target in the second round is Luke Musgrave. The Oregon State tight end checks in at No. 12 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
#OregonState TE Luke Musgrave is such an interesting eval, became a focal feature part of their offense late in 2021 that carried over to his only 2 games into 2022.
Vertical ability up the seams, but also in the threat in boundary — ran double move vs Oregon, Fresno State. pic.twitter.com/NUSGTKHmc7
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) April 10, 2023
Musgrave, a three-star recruit out of Bend entered the 2022 season with 36 receptions and one touchdown to his name.
The Oregon native entered the 2022 season on the Mackey Watch List and was primed to enjoy a monster season. In two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury, Musgrave hauled in 11 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown.
Musgrave competed in alpine skiing, lacrosse, and track. He was No. 27 on Bruce Feldman’s Annual Freaks list. That freaky athleticism was on display at the combine when he clocked a 4.61 40-yard dash and a 10-5 broad jump.
Top size/speed combo at @seniorbowl? It was Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave, who had 16th fastest max speed (20.05 mph) of any player…AT 255 lbs! Next heaviest who ran faster was Cincy LB Ivan Pace Jr (20.58 at 231 lbs). Trusted sources think Musgrave could run 4.4 at Combine.👀 pic.twitter.com/qa3xtXm3WA
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 11, 2023
“Musgrave is gifted with regard to his skill set, but it’s no secret that the reason he’s shooting up draft boards is that he’s an athletic freak,” Carter Bahns, the senior writer and editor for BeaverBlitz said. “A six-foot-six, 253-pound tight end who runs a 4.61 forty. Yeah, that’ll play. The physique and athletic tools are exactly what caught our eyes at BeaverBlitz the first time he took to the practice field at Oregon State, and they only got better year after year. It’s exciting to see his skills start to catch up to his athleticism because while it took a little while, we always felt that once it happened, he’d be one of the best tight ends in the nation.”
The Oregon State tight end is a size, speed threat. Musgrave has the tools to be a mismatch nightmare at the next level and a weapon inside the 20s. He’s a big target with the speed to threaten the seam. With his frame, he has a large catch radius and natural ball skills. He accelerates quickly off the line of scrimmage and shows good route urgency.
Teams will have questions about his hands, as he dropped eight passes on just 80 targets during his time at Oregon State.
“Musgrave made much-needed strides in this department as his collegiate career progressed,” Bahns said. “For his first couple of years in Corvallis, Musgrave left much to be desired when he consistently dropped passes in the open field. There were legitimate concerns about his ability to reach his potential as a receiver because he simply couldn’t hold on to the ball. But it’s possible much of the struggles were more mental than physical, and by the end of his Oregon State career, they were gone. In the small sample size before his season-ending injury in 2022, Musgrave was the Beavers’ leading receiver by a wide margin, and that reliability as a downfield target was the number one sign that he was finally breaking out.”
Once Musgrave catches the ball he can be a load to bring down for defensive backs. With his speed and long strides, he’s able to quickly chew up yards after the catch.
“Musgrave has elite speed for a tight end,” Bahns said. “That certainly showed up at Oregon State when he made defenders miss and sprinted past slower linebackers after the catch. Again, the sample size was limited because he didn’t make an outrageous number of catches until late in his career, but we saw him make enough open-field plays to confirm that his after-catch abilities are about as good as or better than any tight ends in the Draft.”
Musgrave is wired right as a blocker. He brings the required effort as a blocker. He does a good job of sealing outside run lanes. While he gives the required effort, there are questions about his functional strength to hold up in-line at the next level and he needs to do a better job of keeping his feet moving to create movement.
“Blocking was the area in which Musgrave needed the most development when he arrived on campus in 2019,” Bahns said. “Spending a couple of years in the same room as an elite blocker in Teagan Quitoriano went a long way in helping him make strides. By the time Musgrave left Corvallis, he was an integral part of a blocking scheme that has consistently ranked among the nation’s best, though he still projects as more of a downfield receiving threat than a short-yardage bludgeoner. This is maybe the lone concern with his game right now.”
Musgrave is dripping with tools that teams covet. On top of all those traits, Musgrave brings special teams experience to the table. During his time at Corvallis, Musgrave logged 328 snaps on special teams. He recorded two tackles and returned his own blocked punt for a touchdown.
Fit with the Packers
Draft a player for what they can become, not who they are today. Due to a season-ending injury, Musgrave didn’t get to showcase his skillset this past season. He finished his career at Oregon State with just 80 career targets.
If a team is drafting Musgrave, they are doing so hoping his football skills continue to catch up to his athleticism. He improved each season at Oregon State and there is no reason to think that growth won’t continue at the next level.
“Anyone who passes on Musgrave will miss an athletic specimen who has improved in every facet of his game on an annual basis,” Bahns said. “The sky’s the limit for the Bend, Oregon native, and while it’s entirely possible that he’ll need a season or two to acclimate to the NFL, betting against him as a potential star three to five years down the line is a fool’s errand. His meteoric rise is warranted by his athletic tools alone, but when combined with the skills he’s developed as a receiver and blocker (and that he’ll continue to refine), Musgrave looks like a bona fide stud in the making.”
The Packers are in desperate need of more playmakers for Jordan Love. Musgrave would give Love a big, athletic target working the middle of the field, something that’s been missing in Green Bay for quite some time.
If Musgrave is still on the board when the Packers are on the clock in the second round, it would not be surprising to see Gutekunst pull the trigger on the 6-5, 253-pound tight end with 4.61 speed.
