The Green Bay Packers are going to be relying on a lot of young players on the offensive side of the ball. Their skill positions are filled with first and second-year players, as running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are the only players with extensive regular season experience amongst the groups.
One of the players whom the Packers will be relying on early and often is tight end, Luke Musgrave. With Josiah Deguara taking over a fullback/H-Back hybrid role, the No. 1 spot on the tight end depth chart looks to have Musgrave locked into it.
While still a raw prospect lacking in-game experience, as Musgrave played in only 20 games with Oregon State in four seasons, it is easy to see why the Packers are excited about him. His combination of size and freakish athleticism had scouts salivating during the pre-draft process.
The Packers certainly know what kind of potential they have on their hands. Looking to take advantage of the mismatches that Musgrave will create, one play stood out during their joint practice against the New England Patriots on Wednesday; a jet sweep called for Musgrave.
“Those are awesome,” Musgrave said to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic in the locker room after practice. “We would rep ’em in college. I had a few in college, but we never ran it in a game. So hopefully that (in Wednesday’s practice) doesn’t get me kicked off that jet sweep because I kind of got out-leveraged, but those are awesome … those are fun, so hopefully we keep on doing it.”
The fact the Packers have a jet sweep in their playbook for a tight end goes to show how highly they feel about the rookie. Getting the ball into his hands any way possible to take advantage of his athleticism is the goal.
More traditionally, Musgrave was able to make a play by beating the Patriots’ defense up the seam. He caught a 25-yard touchdown as he worked his way downfield away from the coverage for a relatively easy score.
“That’s a really good play concept,” Musgrave said. “It’s kind of like the old scissors, where I’m in like that hip pocket of that Z receiver. He takes the corner angle and I just come off his butt to that high post, so that’s a really well-developed play and a really good throw by Jordan, so I don’t know if I necessarily beat somebody on that. Just a really good play, but I expect to get open. I’m fairly confident in myself and my ability to get open, so whether I get open or not, I expect to usually on those plays.”
From the looks of it, the Packers have major plans for Musgrave during his rookie season. While he has some things to clean up still, such as his blocking and some drops, the upside is immense. The tools are there for him to succeed, as safety Dallin Leavitt compared him to a few superstars at the tight end position in the league.
