Packers’ Tucker Kraft Will Get Chance with Luke Musgrave Sidelined

With impressive rookie tight end Luke Musgrave sidelined by an ankle injury, fellow rookie Tucker Kraft could make his first start on Sunday against the Vikings.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers drafted two tight ends this year. The second-round pick, Luke Musgrave, emerged as an instant starter and contributor. The third-round pick, Tucker Kraft, was neither until the last couple weeks.

With Musgrave likely to miss Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings with an ankle injury sustained on an illegal hit by the Broncos’ Kareem Jackson, Kraft could make his first NFL start.

While the circumstances aren’t ideal, it’s an opportunity he’s been working toward.

“I’ve been doing my thing this whole season,” Kraft said on Thursday. “Keeping my head down, trying to be the first guy in the Don Hutson (Center), trying to show my healthy practice habits, try to have all the answers to the rules when I get on the field.

“I feel like everything I’ve been doing this season has prepared me for this moment, any moment I’ve stepped on the field. The last three weeks, my play time has been a lot, too. So, I don’t think it would’ve mattered if Luke would’ve been down or not; I would’ve been ready to take any opportunity to get on the field, just like I have been the last three weeks.”

Kraft averaged less than 10 snaps per game the first four weeks of the season but logged 23 snaps at the Raiders before the bye and 32 snaps at the Broncos after the bye.

Kraft played collegiately at South Dakota State, an FCS-level school, but he didn’t think those small-school roots and the enormous adjustment to the NFL were why he played only sporadically to open the season.

“I was doing my role. That’s just what it was,” he said. “I wouldn’t attribute to being from a small school or anything. Luke came in, had a great camp. He’s incredibly fast, he’s got so many intangibles so, for me, it was just put my head down, do what I can, get what I can, one rep at a time.

Tucker Kraft :: Photo by Wm. Glasheen/USA Today Sports Images

“I wanted just to build my repertoire. Incremental success, steady play, one thing at a time. And now it’s paid off for me. I’m in this position to have a starting role this week, and I’m going to show what I’ve got just like I said I do in practice, one rep at a time.”

That one-rep-at-a-time mindset worked on the practice field, which is why he’s played more in the games and figures to play a lot against the Vikings.

“I’m really fired up about him,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said.

“I think he’s gotten acclimated to this type of football in the National Football League, and he’s going to have to play big for us this weekend,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

While Musgrave is second on the team with 22 receptions, Kraft has just two catches for 5 yards. Even in extended snaps vs. the Raiders and Broncos, the ball wasn’t thrown his way.

That could change against the Vikings, though, with Kraft getting a chance to show his well-rounded skill-set.

“I think the run game, I’ve got some really strong hands,” Kraft said. “I think I can be [strong] at the point of attack, in a kickout, throw me in motion to take on larger guys in the run game. I think pass-pro-wise, once I get my hands on somebody, I can stay in really good body position, my hat and hands and feet.

“I think the reason why I’m playing in the NFL is because of my YAC capabilities in college. I’m really excited. If the Vikings want to go all-out [blitz] and we get in a hot situation and I’m in the flat, catch the ball, drop step, get upfield and make some magic happen. That’s where a lot of explosive plays happen – they leave someone in the flat, they break a tackle and then it’s a 20-yard gain. Those are the kind of plays I’m looking forward to. I’m going to do what’s asked of me to the best of my ability.”

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