In a loaded tight end draft class, it was Luke Musgrave’s speed that separated him from the rest of his counterparts for the Green Bay Packers.
Even as members of the tight end class started to come off the board as the Packers patiently waited with the 42nd pick, Green Bay still wasn’t short on high-end options. Prior to the draft, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah had a whopping 11 tight ends with a third-round grade or better. However, with Dalton Kincaid, Michael Mayer, and Sam LaPorta off the board, the Packers still got their guy in Musgrave.
Unfortunately, Musgrave’s 2022 season was cut short due to a knee injury that he suffered early on. Before that point, it looked like he was about to have a breakout season, with 11 receptions at 15.4 yards per catch and a touchdown in just two games. Overall, he is a relatively inexperienced player with 1,128 career snaps and only 44 receptions in four seasons. But he has two things that Green Bay loves, upside and speed.
“There are a lot of good players in this draft class at the tight end position,” said Director of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan. “If you ask me what separates him, it’s his speed. You’ve got to see it; everybody’s talked about it. That’s not to take away from the other guys in this class; everybody has a different skill set, but what kind of sets him apart from the rest of the class is that vertical speed to stretch the field.”
Musgrave finished with the fourth-highest Relative Athletic Score at the tight end position, which included a 4.61-second 40-yard dash and a 10-yard split of 1.54 that was the fastest at the position. During the Senior Bowl, Musgrave was also clocked at over 20 miles per hour with the ball in his hands.
This speed was an element that the Packers were very much missing last season at tight end. The only true pass-catching threat on the roster was Robert Tonyan, and while he was a reliable option for Rodgers, his average depth of target was within six yards of the line of scrimmage, and he ranked 34th out of 43 tight ends in average yards per catch with just 8.9. There was no big play threat at tight end for the Packers, like there was on many of this year’s NFL playoff teams.
Musgrave’s speed, combined with his ability to move around the formation, will help create mismatches for the Packers’ offense, which should lead to big-play opportunities over the middle, down the seam, and in the red zone, where the Packers struggled in 2022 as a team. His presence with this skill set will also help create opportunities for other pass catchers with the attention that Musgrave draws from defenders.
History says that most rookie tight ends won’t make a significant impact in that first season. But given the construction of the tight end room, the Packers are going to need Musgrave to break that mold. Having elite speed will certainty help.
“It’s always a projection with all these guys,” Sullivan said. “We really liked the skill set. Watching that kid move around, watching him block, watching him run routes. We feel like where he is now and where he can go is exciting. He will only grow and get better as time evolves.”
