Packers 2023 Rookie Preview: TE Luke Musgrave, 42nd overall pick

After an initial panic from some Green Bay Packers fans following the first day of the 2023 NFL Draft, general manager Brian Gutekunst quickly calmed fans down with his first pick in the second round by selecting tight end Luke Musgrave out of Oregon State.

The Packers went on to select two tight ends and three wide receivers during the three-day event, but Musgrave was the first pass-catcher taken in the group. The nephew of NFL offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, the second-round pick showed real promise for the Beavers despite a season-ending knee injury just two games into the 2022 season.

Musgrave has real potential to be a weapon for the Packers early in his NFL career, and Acme Packing Company’s Tyler Brooke broke down the film on the second-round pick to see what he can do in his latest Packers Rookie Preview.

0:33 - Luke Musgrave background/bio
1:45 - Musgrave’s pass-catching strengths
5:35 - Potential Packers concepts for Musgrave (Y-Leak, Flat, Slice)
9:50 - Musgrave’s effort as a blocker
13:05 -Weaknesses/blocking issues
16:05 - Outro

Here’s what Tyler had to say about Musgrave in his pre-draft scouting report, giving the Packers rookie a Day 2 grade as TE4 on his big board:

Pretty outrageous size/length combo compared to the rest of the TE class. Good body control and size advantage to come away with the ball when blanketed in coverage. Good acceleration and play speed to quickly get upfield as a receiver. Solid job of tracking the ball over his shoulder on catches deep downfield. Solid lateral agility to side step zone-dropping LBs to find soft spots in coverage. Not the cleanest route runner, but lateral agility also allows him to make fairly sharp cuts at times. Would expect better play strength given his size, won’t see him breaking many tackles after the catch. Doesn’t always look like a comfortable hands catcher. Suffered season-ending knee injury.

With Musgrave and Tucker Kraft, the Packers now have a young tight end duo that could potentially become huge playmakers for Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love, and the new-look Packers offense.