Over the last couple of decades, the tight end position has continually risen in prominence. Due to the likes of Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce, they became invaluable foundational pieces of a dynasty.
Now, talent at the position continues to get deeper, with more teams trying to find the perfect value at the spot. For one analyst, there is an emerging candidate who could establish himself in the league’s tight end hierarchy.
A New Superstar Tight End on the Horizon
In recent years, a ton of tight ends have become premier talents in the NFL. Names like Brock Bowers, Tyler Warren, Trey McBride, and Colston Loveland have become major pieces for their respective franchises.
Now, Jacob Infante of PFN believes Tucker Kraft could be the next player in line for that jump. Despite injury concerns as he returns from a torn ACL, the analyst is buying into the upside the Green Bay Packers star offers. He discussed it on “The Hot List”:
“Kraft is somebody that I’m extremely high on going into this year,” Infante said. “Before he tore his ACL midway through last year, he was averaging 61.1 receiving yards per game. That was the second-most of any tight end in the NFL last year. And if you extrapolate that over 17 games, that’s a pace of over 1,000 receiving yards.”
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Last season, McBride was the only tight end to eclipse that mark. Infante acknowledged that the injury could potentially cause a dip in numbers. However, he believed that it could be overcome given the state of the roster.
“Sure, Kraft is coming off the injury, but he’s healthy now,” Infante added. “And the Packers lost Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks this past offseason, didn’t really add a ton at either receiver or tight end. That’s a lot more touches up for grabs.”
Last year, he ranked number four on PFN’s Tight End Impact Metric. But this year, Infante envisions an even bigger jump.
“Kraft, I think, has serious TE1 upside. He could end up as a top-five tight end when it’s all said and done,” Infante concluded.
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It remains to be seen whether Kraft can live up to the belief in him. The Packers, after not making many additions on the offensive side of the ball, have a tall task ahead of them.
With Micah Parsons potentially missing the first one-third of the season, and all signs pointing to Josh Jacobs getting suspended after being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, the team has some severe holes on the roster.
As a result, the fourth-year tight end will be critical to the team if they want to remain in the playoff hunt.
With career totals of 15 touchdowns and over 1,500 receiving yards, Kraft has shown himself to be a capable threat. But he’ll need to take it to another level if the Packers want to remain in the playoff hunt.
