One of the main talking points about the Green Bay Packers this offseason has been about their pass catchers. What will they do without Christian Watson? Do they need a No. 1? Should they sign a veteran like Davante Adams or Cooper Kupp? Should they trade for D.K. Metcalf or Deebo Samuel? Can anyone on the team emerge as a WR1? Will they take a receiver early in the draft?
Many of those questions remained after they didn’t address the room in free agency. However, they answered one of them when they selected Matthew Golden in the first round.
Then, they unexpectedly double-dipped and took Savion Williams in the third. While that answers how they’ll address the room this offseason, neither rookie projects to be a target hog immediately. Whether the team needs a No. 1 and if someone will emerge from within the organization is still uncertain.
Many of these talks revolve around the receivers. However, lost in the shuffle is a candidate I believe is primed for a breakout and deserves more targets after a quietly great second season: Tucker Kraft.
The Packers drafted Sean Rhyan a year earlier than Kraft, and he only emerged as a starter last season. However, Kraft was the first player to break the third-round curse that had plagued the Packers for several years before his selection, after his emergence late in his rookie season with 344 yards over the final eight games.
Kraft carried that momentum into this past season, compiling 707 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s also a guy defenders are petrified to see coming downhill to hit them in the run game.
Every time Kraft got the ball, it felt like he was getting the most out of his touches, which shows on paper. He was just 20th in targets (65), 18th in catches (50), 14th in routes run (440), and 33rd in average depth of target (five). He was also seventh in receiving yards (707), fourth in receiving touchdowns (seven), second in yards per reception (14.1), first in yards after catch per reception (9.3), and fifth in passer rating when targeted (134.6), among qualifying TEs, per PFF.
Kraft produced like a borderline top-five tight end while getting borderline top-20 volume.
Being 33rd in average depth of target while being second in yards per reception stands out, highlighting that he’s a dynamic player. Kraft can be special with the ball in his hands. George Kittle was second among TEs in YAC per reception with 6.6 — 2.7 behind Kraft. Kraft also ranked first in his rookie season in YAC per reception with 7.5. The Kraft YAC & Cheese nickname is perfect.
Kraft won’t break off a defender with his route running as easily as Travis Kelce, Trey McBride, or Brock Bowers, or dunk on someone like Antonio Gates or Rob Gronkowski. However, he’s not incapable of doing either, and he has a superpower. It’s nearly an automatic first down any time Kraft touches the ball. He’s an easy button for Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love, and this offense, and they should press it often.
In addition to his play, Kraft has also emerged as a voice in the locker room. Since the season’s disappointing end, he has repeatedly stated that he will step up and become a leader. He wants to have “More words, not just headbutts.”
Kraft also leads by example by putting in the work in the gym, practice field, and film room. Green Bay’s coaches are noticing. LaFleur recently said on the Bussin’ with the Boys podcast that Kraft is one of the hardest-working players he’s ever been around.
“He’s here even when the players don’t need to be here in the offseason,” LaFleur said. “He’s going to get better and better and better.”
All of Green Bay’s other pass catchers didn’t take a step up, or even in some cases, took a step back last season. However, Kraft put his head down and had the most productive season a Packers tight end has had since Jermichael Finley in 2011, and one of the most productive any Packers tight end has ever had in just his second season.
High-level offenses like the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs run through tight ends. With uncertainty among Green Bay’s pass catchers, there’s an alpha role waiting to be occupied.
If Kraft can take another step this season to go along with some added dad strength and get the targets he deserves, he can be that guy and ascend into the upper echelon of all tight ends in the league. With the potential, if he can sustain the success, he can become one of, if not Green Bay’s best, tight ends.
