The Green Bay Packers certainly have a bright future with their young team. Jordan Love is leading one of the youngest teams in the NFL and Championship aspirations don’t seem far fetched.
The 2024 off-season saw Green Bay not only get younger, but improve some of their weakest positions.
One of Love’s second year weapons made a pretty impactful statement this week about his rise to the NFL.
One Green Bay Packers Second Year Player Makes Impactful Statement
According to Bill Huber of Packers Central:
A third-round pick last year, Kraft led the entire rookie tight end class with 7.5 yards after the catch per catch, according to Pro Football Focus. No other rookie who was targeted at least 12 times in the passing game averaged more than 6.0 YAC.
Even among the established veterans, Kraft excelled. According to PFF, 45 tight ends were targeted at least 30 times. Kraft was No. 1 in YAC per catch.
“Everyone was wrong. Anyone who tries to shove that small-school narrative, they can put it where the sun don’t shine,” Kraft said during OTAs. “We’re football players. We’re playing the same game.
You rise to the ability of the people around you. I was out there dominating the FCS level, but you turn the film on here, the NFL is not that hard of a game if you’re locked into your techniques and you know your offense well enough.”
Like they did this offseason at safety, the Packers blew up their tight end group last offseason. After choosing to not re-sign Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis, they used a second-round pick on Luke Musgrave and a third-round pick on Kraft.
Combined, they caught 65 passes and became the first rookie tight end duo since the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez to each have 30-plus receptions, 350-plus yards and at least one touchdown.
Kraft’s season was remarkable. He barely played the first four weeks and barely came off the field the final seven. During the final six games, he ranked eighth among tight ends with 24 receptions for 297 yards. Only Detroit Lions Pro Bowler Sam LaPorta had more catches and yards among rookie tight ends.
Tucker Kraft really played basketball with this man’s head 😳
pic.twitter.com/OeuI69vatZ— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) January 2, 2024
The Packers have something special with Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft at tight end. The two could develop into one of the best tight end duos in the NFL.
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