The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Green Bay Packers need an infusion of young, talented pass catchers. That’s not exclusive to just the wide receiver position. The Packers need to add more talent to the tight end room.
Robert Tonyan will be back on a one-year deal after suffering a torn ACL last season. Marcedes Lewis is aging like fine wine, but eventually he’ll have to hang it up. Right? Josiah Deguara is entering his third season in the league and could be primed for a breakout.
Those three give the Packers a formidable, if not underwhelming tight end group. Brian Gutekunst needs to add more talent to the mix with the hopes of finding a long-term starter.
A player that Gutekunst could target on day two of the draft is Jeremy Ruckert. The Ohio State tight end checks in at No. 27 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
A four-star recruit, Ruckert scored a combined nine touchdowns in 2019 and 2020. This past season he hauled in 26 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns.
Ruckert’s numbers aren’t eye-popping. However, he played in an offense that has two of the top wide receivers in the upcoming draft and another one that will likely be the first off the board in 2023. There just weren’t enough targets to go around.
“Ruckert’s senior season production was pretty solid,” Ian Cummings, an NFL Draft analyst for Pro Football Network, said. “Especially when you realize he was sharing catches with potentially three first-round receivers and an elite receiving threat out of the backfield in TreVeyon Henderson. Ruckert’s stats don’t pop off the page, but he comfortably surpassed his previous career highs in catches and receiving yards. For being in a crowded offense, he showed enough.”
Ruckert is pro-ready as a blocker. He is tenacious as a run blocker. He gets after defenders, creating movement with his power and leg drive. He wants to drive defenders into the ground and bullies defensive backs with his strength.
“He can line up inline or as an H-back,” Cummings said. “He has the want-to, but it’s more than that with Ruckert. The Ohio State tight end can square up and lower his pads, and channel power into his blocks, and he also does a great job using his athleticism to carry momentum into defenders. His play strength isn’t elite, but it’s not going to be with most tight ends. He does a great job compensating with closing burst, leverage, and great physicality. If you’re a linebacker and you’re not ready, he’ll drive you into the dirt.”
Ruckert has soft and reliable hands. The Ohio State tight end was targeted 39 times this past season and only had one drop (PFF).
The former four-star recruit doesn’t labor in and out of his breaks. He accelerates smoothly off the line of scrimmage. With his frame and hands, Ruckert will be a quarterback’s best friend on underneath routes. He shows no issue making catches in a crowd.
With his rocked-up frame, Ruckert creates yards after the catch with his toughness and is able to run through defenders.
“At 6-5, 252 pounds, he has great size, and he’s a very good athlete for his size,” Cummings said. “He can get open in space and sit in open zones. Especially over the middle of the field, he’s adept at finding space and racking up completions. He can haul in passes with linebackers closing in, and he also flashes excellent body control, coordination, and ball-tracking ability in close quarters. His hands can be a bit more consistent, especially through contact. Against more physical NFL defenders, that may be an issue. But Ruckert brings a lot of the necessary building blocks.”
Ruckert will be a weapon inside the 20s. Of his 54 career receptions, 12 of them went for touchdowns. With his size and deceptive quickness, Ruckert could be a mismatch weapon inside the “Gold Zone.”
“He’s big and he’s long,” Cummings said. “But he’s also athletic and quick enough off the line to get separation fairly quickly. If you dish it up to him, he has the high-end coordination and ball tracking ability to convert. There are some focus drops in this range, but when you’re projecting for what prospects can be, you think about building blocks. Ruckert has the size and athleticism, as well as the natural instincts at the catch point. Those go a long way in the red zone.”
Fit with the Packers
Ruckert is a plug-and-play player with his blocking ability. He could provide the Packers with a Y-tight end with his ability as a run blocker.
“He feels like a player who could end up being more productive as a pro than he was as a college player,” Cumming said. “He has the traits to capitalize on more volume and become a featured pass catcher, and his blocking utility ensures that you can keep him on the field for all three downs. If you can get this kind of player in the middle rounds, it’ll only benefit you down the road.”
The Packers need more young talent at the tight end position. Ruckert would provide an immediate impact as a blocker and anything he added as a pass-catcher would be gravy.
Long-term, Ruckert has all the tools in the shed to develop into a team’s top tight end. With his frame, hands and ability as a blocker, Ruckert checks all the boxes.
