The Green Bay Packers were awfully busy in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. After taking tight end Luke Musgrave with the 42nd overall pick, they traded their 45th overall pick to the Detroit Lions for the 48th and 159th picks. They then took that pick and traded it to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 50th and 179th picks. With the 50th pick, they took wide receiver Jayden Reed. After taking a defensive player in the first round in Lukas Van Ness, they used their two second round picks to add weapons for Jordan Love. In doing so, they added two players that will make the offense more dynamic, diverse, and successful.
How Luke Musgrave Will Help the Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love Succeed
The knock on Luke Musgrave coming into the NFL Draft was that his 2022 seasons was cut short by a knee injury. However, teams (especially the Packers) seemed satisfied with how it has healed. Musgrave used the combine, Senior Bowl, and top 30 visits to prove to teams that he was still worthy of being a quality prospect. It obviously worked. Now, he will be a vital player in the Packers’ offense as he replaces Robert Tonyan, who signed with the Chicago Bears in free agency.
The question is: how can Musgrave help the Packers immediately? According to PFF, Musgrave 63.4 receiving grade in 2021, his last full season. In the two games he was able to play in 2022, Musgrave had a 79.2 receiving grade and led Oregon State in receiving yards. Had he not gotten injured, he would have been one of nation’s leaders in receiving yards by a tight end. In other words, he will be just another receiving weapon for Jordan Love to target in the middle of the field and in the red zone.
Musgrave is known for his catching ability, sure, but his speed at the tight end position also makes him a dangerous weapon on offense.
Luke Musgrave was drafted with pick 42 of round 2 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.78 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 25 out of 1105 TE from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/t8gkduqtlF pic.twitter.com/92PAiVwlQs
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 28, 2023
As seen in the Tweet above, Musgrave is an elite athlete with elite speed. Love hitting Musgrave in the middle of a wide open field will end up being a signature play for this Packers’ offense.
How Will Jayden Reed Help the Green Bay Packers and Jordan Love Succeed?
221119 Msu Indiana 124a
Packers fans may fondly remember the Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb connection. Cobb, lined up in the slot, created many first downs and scored many touchdowns by being the safety blanket for Rodgers and the passing game. Well, Rodgers is gone and Cobb likely is, too. Enter Love and Jayden Reed.
Jayden Reed is a perfect slot receiver to compliment Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs on the outside. He is incredibly agile and even returned punts for the Michigan State Spartans. It is very possible that he fills a similar roll to Cobb when the latter was first drafted in 2011. Based on his RAS scores from his combine testing, it is clear to see why Reed was drafted:
Jayden Reed was drafted with pick 50 of round 2 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 6.74 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 999 out of 3062 WR from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/0UyKiHPZy5 pic.twitter.com/aln3CrwqZg
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
While Reed is a bit below the physical thresholds of height and weight that the Packers usually draft, his speed is what put him on their radar. He used that speed to score three punt returns in college and and averaged 11.6 yards per reception. He may not put up huge numbers compared to those that Watson and Doubs may have, but he will convert a lot of first downs and be a reliable target in the middle of the field.
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