The Green Bay Packers don’t have a star-studded receiving core, but tight end Tucker Kraft is one of the reasons why they lead the NFC North at 5-1-1.
The third-year veteran entered Sunday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a team-high 326 receiving yards over six contests. He was also tied with wide receiver Romeo Doubs for the most touchdown catches (four), and his 23 receptions were one behind Doubs for the team lead.
Kraft then stole the show against the Steelers, catching seven passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns on nine targets. During the game, the NFL announced franchise history that the 24-year-old made through the first six contests, via the NFL+ social media account.
“Tucker Kraft is the only TE in GB history w/ 300+ rec yds & 4+ rec TD through first 6 games,” it announced.
Kraft hauled in a 16-yard touchdown grab to give Green Bay a 7-3 lead in the first quarter before catching a 24-yard scoring strike to give the club a 29-19 lead in the fourth. The 6-foot-5, 259-pounder also notched a 59-yard reception in the third quarter, which was part of a nine-play, 90-yard touchdown drive that cut the deficit to 16-14. The Packers later won 35-25.
Tucker Kraft Emerging As Elite Tight End
Kraft now has 469 yards on the season and is on pace to break his career-high of 707. The South Dakota State University product also has six touchdowns, which is just one below his career-best mark from last season.
Kraft is now second in receiving yards only to Indianapolis Colts rookie Tyler Warren among tight ends, per FantasyPros. He’s also tied for second in touchdowns with Philadelphia Eagles veteran Dallas Goedert.
Kraft’s ascenscion has helped the Packers’ offense produce without wideout Jayden Reed (collarbone/foot), who led the squad with 857 receiving yards last season. The 25-year-old is on injured reserve and hasn’t played since Week 2, via ESPN.
Kraft’s performance on Sunday was also timely given that Pittsburgh contained star running back Josh Jacobs. The 2019 first-round pick rushed for just 33 yards on 13 carries, although he did have a three-yard scoring run to give Green Bay a 22-19 lead in the fourth quarter. The game exemplified how the offense has multiple cards to play, which could keep defenses from selling out to stop the run.