Futures of two Packers players are murkier than ever after latest draft picks
Like we all knew they would, the Green Bay Packers drafted a tight end early in the 2023 NFL Draft. Many people also probably made the safe assumption general manager Brian Gutekunst would even draft two tight ends. But, there weren't a lot of people that saw them taking two tight ends in the first […]
Like we all knew they would, the Green Bay Packers drafted a tight end early in the 2023 NFL Draft. Many people also probably made the safe assumption general manager Brian Gutekunst would even draft two tight ends.
But, there weren't a lot of people that saw them taking two tight ends in the first three rounds.
That was a slight surprise, but it made sense. It was obvious the Packers needed to add some serious firepower to the room. They did just that and now, there are a couple of players who are going to have to fight harder than ever to stay on the roster.
"Right now, we only have a couple of tight ends coming back from last year," Gutekunst said back in March. "So there’s some holes there. Those guys either have to step into those roles and fill them, or we’re going to have to look other places."
The Packers took Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave and South Dakota State TE Tuker Kraft with the Nos. 42 and 78 picks in the draft. Both players are well-rounded and effective pass-catchers/run blockers and they also have good athleticism and a bit of versatility to their respective games.
In other words: Both players are front-runners for the TE1 and TE2 position, in whatever order, which means that guys like Austin Allen and Nick Guggemos are pretty much out of the picture unless an injury occurs to one of the top guys.
"I really like this whole group, now," Gutekunst said Friday night. "There's obviously a couple of young players that have a lot to prove. With Josiah [Deguara] and Tyler coming back and then adding to it, I really like the group, now, and it's going to be interesting to see how [Packers head coach] Matt [LaFleur] and his staff use these guys.
"If you have interchangeable guys, it makes it easier and I think these two guys have the potential to be that."
The Packers have Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis, whom Gutekunst specifically mentioned, on the roster and the team isn't going to carry more than four tight ends. Deguara is safe as TE3, while Davis is a core special-teamer who's played at least 60% of special teams snaps in each of the past two years.
Allen and Guggemos are going to have to really show out this offseason. Here's to wishing them nothing but the best of luck.
