A lot has been made of the inexperience that the Green Bay Packers have at their pass-catching positions. There isn’t a player currently on the roster at wide receiver that has more than one season of NFL experience under their belt, as 2022 draft picks Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are expected to lead the way.
At tight end, the Packers have two players entering Year 4 of their careers; Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis. However, when it comes to production on the field, there likely isn’t a less experienced tight end group in the NFL than what the Packers have.
Those two players have combined for 47 receptions in their career. Rookies Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft and Camren McDonald obviously have zero, making this a training camp battle a lot of people will be keeping an eye on.
Smart money right now would be on Musgrave emerging as the starting tight end. He was a second-round pick in this year’s draft and someone that the Packers are very high on. Tight end is normally a very difficult position for rookies transitioning from college, but options are limited in Green Bay.
Over at NFL.com, some projections for the 2023 season have been done for Fantasy Football. Musgrave came out ahead of his teammates there as well, but don’t expect record-setting production from the position in Green Bay this season.
The Oregon State product is projected to finish 32nd at the position with 87.29 fantasy points. In 17 games, Musgrave is projected to have 36 receptions for 368 yards and two or three touchdowns. Somewhat surprising, however, is that Musgrave is projected to be the most productive rookie tight end in 2023, with first-round pick Dalton Kincaid finishing right behind him.
While Musgrave’s numbers aren’t going to blow anyone away, there is a huge gap between him and his teammates at the position, as the rest of the tight ends aren’t even going to approach him combined.
Kraft is projected to have 15 receptions for 121 yards and one touchdown. Deguara is even further down the list with five receptions for 55 yards and one score. Based on projections, this is Musgrave’s battle to lose.