Tucker Kraft has been enjoying lining up at the Line of Scrimmage in the absence of fellow rookie Luke Musgrave. He has stepped up for the Packers in the last 3 matchups, and with some game time under his belt; he is finally beginning to show his elite blocking and receiving skills.
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Kraft, like a true TE, doesn’t shy away from his blocking responsibilities and it looks like he enjoys it too much. During his recent chat with ‘the Draft Network‘, Kraft said he likes to look in the eyes of the defenders and show them who’s the boss at the Line of Scrimmage. He wants them to see him as he charges at them. The rookie TE didn’t mince his words and said,
“I’m comfortable with violence at the LOS. I want to punish defenders as a blocker. I see the emotions in their face change once I put them on their heels. I can feel their breath leaving. They exhale as I fall on top of them.
In the era when the game is becoming less and less physical with referees throwing the flag on every play for unnecessary roughness and roughing the passer, fans love to see a young player with this attitude. A recent X (formerly Twitter) post made rounds and fans were quick to gather in the comments to share their two cents. One of the fans wrote, “Sounds like he killed someone.”
Another chimed in and said, “Anybody got proverbs vibes reading this???.”
This fan wrote, “Well, praying for defender on facing him on the field. Love Kraft.”
It seems Tucker has found a life-long fan, as he wrote, “I will fight for Tucker Kraft for the rest of my life now.”
Lastly, another fan wrote, “Time to go run through a brick wall for this guy. Love the Packers tight end class.”
Tucker Kraft Taking His Shot in Musgrave’s Absence
While Luke showcased his athletic prowess, Kraft struggled to make an impression during the pre-season, finding himself on the bench playing backup. Before Musgrave’s injury, he had just 3 receptions for 11 yards as a substitute.
The rookie TE has finally gotten his shot after the Packers’ starting TE Luke Musgrave got injured during their win against the Chargers. Tucker Kraft, the 78th pick in the 2023 draft, has been benched in favor of 42nd pick Musgrave, but after the latter suffered a lacerated kidney and got placed on injured reserve, Tucker finally got his opportunity. Musgrave’s impressive performances in pre-season made Matt Lafleur throw the rookie into the deep end of the opening game against the Bears.
In his 3 games as a starter, the former South Dakota State TE has caught 7 passes for 86 yards and a TD. The numbers, however, don’t do any justice. He showed a great deal of athleticism, speed, and the ability to turn short passes into big gains, something he has possessed since his college days.
Kraft said getting more games has helped his confidence and repeating the same things is how you become the best. About that, he said,
“How I was saying Travis (Kelce) has developed his ability so well by doing it thousands of times, that’s a thing. Repetition breeds confidence. Getting a chance to rep something over and over again, and knowing your rules that apply to that play, builds confidence in your ability to execute it,” as reported by Packer Central.
Le Fleur said Tucker can expect more on his plate from now on even if Musgrave comes back. Kraft has certainly benefitted from improved Jordan Love. The Green Bay Packers are on a 3-match winning streak with wins coming against some tough sides such as the Chargers, the Lions, and finally the Chiefs.
The Packers are now 6-6 and have some winnable fixtures coming up. After the win over Kansas City, they have a 69% chance of making the playoffs, as per the New York Times.
