Packers take Senior Bowl Standout TE Luke Musgrave in mock draft
By Paul Bretl
Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave was one of a few players who really stood out at the Senior Bowl. He also made his way to the Green Bay Packers at pick 15 in a recent mock draft from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
Listed at 6’6″ – 255 pounds, Musgrave was clocked at 20.05 miles per hour at the Senior Bowl, which according to Jim Nagy, was the 16th fastest time at the event. Nagy added that trusted sources of his expect Musgrave to run a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
Musgrave played in only two games in 2022, suffering a season-ending knee injury at the time. Despite the small sample size, Musgrave was off to a fast start and appeared in store for a breakout season, catching 11 of 15 passes at 15.4 yards per catch with a touchdown. PFF’s Mike Renner called Musgrave an “animal” and said that level of performance over the course of the season would make him a first-round pick.
During the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Musgrave’s production as a pass catcher was modest. He caught 31 of his 57 targets at 12.7 yards per catch with one touchdown, according to PFF ($$). The bulk of his snaps came lined up in line, but he did also play over one-third of them from the slot.
Oregon State, who utilizes a zone running scheme like the Packers, used Musgrave frequently as a blocker, with over 500 run-blocking snaps during that two-year span. For what it’s worth, he graded out so-so by PFF’s grading metrics.
For more on Musgrave’s game, here is what Damian Parson of The Draft Network wrote in his scouting report:
"“As an NFL tight end, I envision Musgrave as a TE2 early in his career with the potential to develop into a starter,” wrote Parson. “His value in the red zone is enticing. He can operate out of 12-personnel packages with two tight ends that can either use the pass or run game to move the football. Musgrave can stand to improve his play strength and defeat physical coverage quicker since time in the NFL is shorter for quarterbacks.”"
As I’ve talked about on a few occasions this offseason, tight end is one of the Packers’ biggest needs. For one, they need more playmaking in the passing game. Robert Tonyan was really the only pass-catching threat at the position in 2022, and although reliable, he averaged just 8.9 yards per catch.
On top of that, this is a position group lacking depth at the moment as well. Josiah Deguara, who is really an H-back, is the only tight end on the roster with experience. The other two options are Austin Allen and Nick Guggemos, two practice squad players from last season.
Very rarely do rookie tight ends, even the top draft picks, come in and make a significant impact, which is what the Packers will need. Not to mention that as we saw from Green Bay’s 2022 rookie class, which looks very promising, most rookies are very inconsistent.
The jump from college to the NFL for tight ends is a difficult transition with them having the know blocking techniques and responsibilities like a lineman while also having to know route concepts and releases like a receiver. For this reason, in addition to spending an early-round selection on the position, bringing in a veteran through free agency to provide a reliable presence at the position should also be on the Packers’ to-do list.
Although tight end is a major need, the good news for the Packers is that this is a deep class at the top end of the draft. On Daniel Jeremiah’s big board, he has six tight ends listed within his top 50. Other names to know include Michael Mayer, Dalton Kincaid, and Darnell Washington, among others.