In the end of season interviews NFL coaches give, sometimes they say things that never come to pass. Hopefully Matt LaFleur's indication the Packers will feature the tight end more in the offense next year is one that holds true. Because they've got a really good one in Tucker Kraft.
“I think that’s on us to make sure we find him and feature him because … when he gets the ball in his hands, you feel him,” LaFleur said of Kraft after the season. “So if there’s an area that we gotta do a better job on, I would say featuring the tight end.”
Kraft last season caught 50 passes for 707 yards and 7 touchdowns, grading out as the 10th-best tight end in PPR leagues. Imagine if they'd used him more. In terms of targets, he was just 18th at his position (70). Kincaid, Conklin, Pitts and Okonkwo are among the tight ends to see as many or more passes thrown their way last year, while ranking at least 5 spots lower in PPR leagues.
Kraft has been in the league two years now, and he's done more with the chances he's been given than almost every other tight end. Over those two years he's seen 110 targets, and averaged 9.7 yards on those plays. Among the 36 tight ends with at least 75 targets in those seasons, that's better than anyone but George Kittle.
| TIGHT ENDS YARDS PER TARGET, 2023-2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Y/Tgt |
| George Kittle | 184 | 143 | 2126 | 14 | 11.6 |
| Tucker Kraft | 110 | 81 | 1062 | 9 | 9.7 |
| Mark Andrews | 130 | 100 | 1217 | 17 | 9.4 |
| Isaiah Likely | 98 | 72 | 888 | 11 | 9.1 |
| Noah Fant | 107 | 80 | 914 | 1 | 8.5 |
| Noah Gray | 90 | 68 | 742 | 7 | 8.2 |
| Cole Kmet | 145 | 120 | 1193 | 10 | 8.2 |
| Jonnu Smith | 181 | 138 | 1466 | 11 | 8.1 |
| Dallas Goedert | 135 | 101 | 1088 | 5 | 8.1 |
| Sam LaPorta | 203 | 146 | 1615 | 17 | 8.0 |
| Austin Hooper | 90 | 70 | 710 | 3 | 7.9 |
| Brock Bowers | 153 | 112 | 1194 | 5 | 7.8 |
| Trey McBride | 253 | 192 | 1971 | 5 | 7.8 |
| Kyle Pitts | 164 | 100 | 1269 | 7 | 7.7 |
| Pat Freiermuth | 125 | 97 | 961 | 9 | 7.7 |
| Will Dissly | 86 | 67 | 653 | 3 | 7.6 |
| T.J. Hockenson | 189 | 136 | 1415 | 5 | 7.5 |
| Juwan Johnson | 125 | 87 | 916 | 7 | 7.3 |
| Travis Kelce | 254 | 190 | 1807 | 8 | 7.1 |
| Mike Gesicki | 128 | 94 | 909 | 4 | 7.1 |
| Hunter Henry | 158 | 108 | 1093 | 8 | 6.9 |
| Cade Otton | 154 | 106 | 1055 | 8 | 6.9 |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | 147 | 106 | 1007 | 3 | 6.9 |
| Tyler Higbee | 82 | 55 | 561 | 4 | 6.8 |
| Kylen Granson | 81 | 44 | 550 | 1 | 6.8 |
| Dalton Kincaid | 166 | 117 | 1121 | 4 | 6.8 |
| Dalton Schultz | 173 | 112 | 1167 | 7 | 6.7 |
| Tyler Conklin | 159 | 112 | 1070 | 4 | 6.7 |
| Jake Ferguson | 188 | 130 | 1255 | 5 | 6.7 |
| Colby Parkinson | 83 | 55 | 541 | 3 | 6.5 |
| Jordan Akins | 81 | 55 | 522 | 2 | 6.4 |
| Evan Engram | 207 | 161 | 1328 | 5 | 6.4 |
| Logan Thomas | 78 | 55 | 496 | 4 | 6.4 |
| David Njoku | 220 | 145 | 1387 | 11 | 6.3 |
| Zach Ertz | 134 | 93 | 841 | 8 | 6.3 |
| Gerald Everett | 83 | 59 | 447 | 3 | 5.4 |
Search tools at pro-football-reference.com were used in compiling this table.
The other name that stands out at the top of this grouping, Isaiah Likely, isn't surprising. There are stories suggesting that Mark Andrews is a trade candidate for the Ravens, with them likely having to make some hard cap-related decisions. Likely, if Andrews were to be moved, would be attracting a lot of interest in early best-ball drafts (and probably is in anyway).
But Kraft is definitely another tight end who could be in line for a big step up next season. The talent is there, and so is the performance with his chances. All he needs now is more of them.
--Andy Richardson