Dallin Leavitt spent his first four NFL seasons covering Travis Kelce twice a year as a member of the Raiders. Leavitt sees similarities between Kelce and his new teammate, Packers rookie tight end Luke Musgrave.
The fourth tight end selected in April’s draft, Musgrave has enjoyed a successful camp. He’s gained a quick rapport with Jordan Love and has received high praise from his teammates, including Leavitt.
“He’s a special talent,” Leavitt said, via ESPN. “He’s got more wiggle than people give him credit for and obviously everybody talks about his speed, but I think he does a good job making contested catches as well.”
Leavitt said that Musgrave reminds him of Kelce, a four-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler who has helped the Chiefs win two Super Bowls since the start of the 2019 season.
“I think Darren Waller is another level of it because Darren is almost like an X receiver,” Leavitt said. “I played a long time with Darren. In regards to speed and feeling that on the over route, yeah, I think [Musgrave’s] got that. But honestly, I would say he’s closer to Kelce than he is Darren, body type and all that.”
Musgrave’s talent was on display during the Packers’ first joint practice with the Patriots. He made a leaping catch over a defender on a pass from Love, who is entering his first season as the Packers’ starting quarterback.
“The corner (route) took the safety out and Luke was just 1-on-1 with the corner right there, and I got it out a little early before he came out of his break,” Love said of the play, via the Packers website. “Just put it up and he went up and made a great catch right there in the end zone.”
While he size jumps off a page, the 6-foot-6 Musgrave’s stats from college do not. He caught 47 passes for 633 yards and two touchdowns during his four seasons at Oregon State. But while lack of productive surely hurt his draft stock, Musgrave’s potential certainly led to the Packers selecting him with the 42nd overall pick.
Musgrave’s size, athleticism, and ability as a seam and red zone threat were some his attributes coming into the draft. His limited production and perceived inability to create space when covered physically were among his perceived weaknesses. So far, it appears that Musgrave has reinforced his positive attributes in Green Bay. He’s also apparently made up for any of his shortcomings.
One thing that Musgrave has going for him is his quick chemistry with Love, who is surely looking for a safety blanket to lean on whenever he’s in a pinch. Love hasn’t been shy about his desire to feed Musgrave the ball early and often this season.
“We’ve just got to keep getting him the ball, keep feeding him, and see what he can do after the catch,” Love said of Musgrave. “He’s going to be a really good player.”
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Author: Bryan DeArdo
August 17, 2023 | 2:07 pm
