The Tucker Kraft hype train has officially left the station.
While the Green Bay Packers drafted Kraft a round later than Luke Musgrave last year, Kraft has seemingly pulled comfortably ahead of Musgrave as the team's No. 1 tight end.
In a wild season opener, one of the biggest surprises was the Packers' usage of their tight ends. Per ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Kraft played 64 offensive snaps compared to just 17 for Musgrave. That's a significant gap. Kraft also played 16 special teams snaps, while Musgrave had zero.
It's telling. While Musgrave's athleticism and speed give him potential as a pass catcher, Kraft has shown more as an all-around tight end. He adds yards after the catch and has improved as a blocker. Musgrave still has a long way to go.
It's a staggering decline in usage for the 2023 second-round pick. As a rookie, Musgrave only played fewer than 40 offensive snaps twice. In one of those games, he left early after suffering a concussion. The other was Week 18, his first game back from a significant injury.
Musgrave's upside is sky-high, but he hasn't been able to put it all together yet. Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich didn't sugarcoat it when he said Musgrave's training camp performance had been "up and down." Stenavich was optimistic about his development but said there was "still some stuff I'd like to see him work on."
Former Packers QB blames Luke Musgrave for Jordan Love interception
Kurt Benkert spent time in Matt LaFleur's offense as the Packers' third-string quarterback. He understands what the players are asked to do. Benkert pinned the blame for Jordan Love's interception against the Eagles on Musgrave.
"This is really bad by Musgrave," said Benkert. "Jordan is throwing to the spot with anticipation and if the TE just runs the route correctly it's a completion or incomplete. No threat of pick if he does his job."
It could explain why the Packers limited his snap counts in the game.
While their wide receiver depth makes it challenging to feature both tight ends, a 64-17 difference in snaps is significant. The Packers drafted Musgrave in the second round, so playing 17 snaps is hard to believe.
It's not time to hit the panic button, and he has the potential to become a game-changer. But the Packers' tight end usage shows Musgrave still has a lot of work to do.
