Tucker Kraft Has Stepped Into the Spotlight

The Pack is back in action. There was plenty to digest after their first day of training camp, but an old favorite entered the spotlight during media availability and the on-field practice.

Tight end Tucker Kraft emerged as a player to watch in his second year. He displayed reliable hands, an impressive YAC ability, fearsome blocking, and the type of unhinged lunacy you'd expect from a tight end. Kraft finished his sophomore season by catching 50 of his 70 targets for 707 yards and seven receiving TDs. He was a first-down generator, with 30 conversions, and showcased his YAC ability with a long gain of 67 yards.

As impressive as Tuck was in Year 2, the Packers can add more to his plate in Year 3. Despite being one of the team's most dynamic and reliable offensive weapons, Kraft was never truly a featured target.

That could change this season. Matt LaFleur's pre-practice comments mentioned Kraft as a rising player, and he was featured heavily on the first day of training camp. It's early, and there are lots of mouths to feed in this offense. Still, if words and actions align and Kraft can earn more of a featured role, this offense can soar.

Jordan Love leaned on the running game as he recovered from his Week 1 injury and spread the ball out in the receiving game. Every week, nobody knew who'd be the featured offensive player.

Still, Kraft's efforts week-to-week resulted in the second-most receiving yards (behind Jayden Reed's 857, which led the team) and the most receiving touchdowns. He had the seventh-most receiving yards by a tight end and tied for third-most touchdowns with Sam LaPorta and Zach Ertz. PFF featured his 9.3 yards after catch per reception as best in the league. He did all of this work in the passing game while being a general menace as a blocker.

Kraft has made the most of every opportunity the Packers have presented him, and he's been able to establish his presence during Luke Musgrave's unfortunate injury absences. He'll need more opportunities to get to the next step and become one of the league's great tight ends.

Packers Wire's Brandon Carwile looked at Kraft's targets per game compared to featured tight ends across the league. Kraft's 4.1 targets per game in 2024 pales in comparison to Travis Kelce's 8.6 and George Kittle's 7.0 on the years they've broken 1,000 yards. If Kraft is going to be Green Bay's first 1,000-yard tight end, he'll need some help from LaFleur and Jordan Love.

Thankfully, that seems well within reach.

Earlier this month, LaFleur said, "I think that's on us to find him and feature him. When he gets the ball in his hands, you feel him. If there's an area we have to do a better job on, it's featuring the tight end."

Kraft spent his summer working in Green Bay to prepare for a bigger role (and Green Bay is a bigger city than his hometown, to be fair).

“Yeah, I think he’s an ascending player," LaFleur said on Day 1 of camp. "It’s not by surprise. The guy works his ass off every day. He was here the entire summer working with our guys, putting the work in. So, I think it’s a credit to him.”

It wasn't all talk. Kraft featured heavily in the first practice's game plan.

Love's first two passes of camp went to his tight end, a 15-yarder and a screen. Love later missed Kraft for a TD. It could be a sign of things to come.

To put it in Love Island terms, it's still early days, and Kraft needs to put on his grafting boots and get cracking. However, it's encouraging to see an effort to get Kraft the ball more frequently.

Green Bay's offense still has a lot of mouths to feed, especially after adding two wide receivers in this year's draft. Love likely continues to spread the ball around among his receivers, and the WR1 debacle probably won't be solved anytime soon. However, with Kraft as a reliable and proven option, he might be the exception. If he can emerge as a safety blanket and put those YAC skills to good use, that should generate a few extra targets per game.

This is the time of year for hype, and no one is in pads yet. However, everything we've seen from Kraft shows that he is a skilled and hard worker ready to take the next step. He puts in the work in all aspects of the game, and he isn't afraid to compliment a reporter's big blue eyes. Kraft is ready to become one of the league's premier tight ends, and it's up to LaFleur and Love to help him get that chance.