Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft ranked among the best at his position in several important statistical measures during a breakout 2024 season, but he’ll have to do more as a young player before the rest of the NFL sees him as one of the best tight ends in football.
In a voted-based ranking from NFL executives, coaches and scouts compiled by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN, Kraft didn’t land in the top 10 or even as one of the seven honorable mentions, meaning he ranked at least No. 18 in the voting. Kraft did receive votes for the top 10, but not enough to be recognized.
Acknowledgement in the NFL often takes time. Kraft will need to build on his breakout season to establish himself as one of the league’s best at tight end.
As a second-year player in 2024, Kraft caught 50 passes for 707 yards and seven touchdowns on only 70 targets. Among tight ends, he ranked tied for fourth in touchdown catches, seventh in receiving yards and second in yards per target (10.1). According to Pro Football Focus, Kraft forced 15 missed tackles — tied for the most among tight ends — and averaged 9.3 yards after the catch, leading all tight ends. His average depth of target was just 5.0 yards, and the Packers often used him on screens and checkdown passes, but Kraft’s ability to get up field and make people miss helped make him a devastatingly effective player with the ball in his hands.
The Packers have said, on multiple occasions this offseason, that they plan to use Kraft more in the passing game in 2025. And while effective as an underneath option last season, Kraft’s next step is becoming a more dangerous and consistent player in the intermediate and deep areas of the passing game.
“Just trying to find different ways to give him the ball, that’s gonna be the big thing for us,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said this offseason.
More targets for an ascending player like Kraft should mean more production, and more recognition as a top player.
“Tuck’s going to be a big part of our offense,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “I think a big part of going into this season is going to be finding ways to continue to get Tuck the ball, get him as many touches as we can in the game because he’s a dynamic playmaker and does some really good things once he gets it in his hands. That’s going to be a focus going into the season, is trying to make sure we can get him as many touches as possible each week.”
One could forgive the NFL for overlooking Kraft after just one good season. The Packers sound ready to give him every chance to cement his status as a top-10 tight end with another great season in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Even after breakout season, Packers’ Tucker Kraft not yet considered one of NFL’s best TEs
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
