Why Luke Musgrave Is a 2023 Fantasy Sleeper

Luke Musgrave with the Oregon State Beavers

(Photo Credit: Karl Maasdam/Oregon State Athletics)

Green Bay, Wisconsin (PSF) - The Green Bay Packers will enter the 2023 season in a new era, the post-Rodgers Jordan Love era. Aaron Rodgers’ trade to the New York Jets in April marked the day where Jordan Love officially took over as the Packers’ QB1. Subsequently in the 2023 draft, the Packers made it a priority to draft weapons for Love. After controversially passing on wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round with the 13th overall pick, they followed it up by drafting tight end Luke Musgrave at pick 42 in the second round, wide receiver Jayden Reed at pick 50, and doubled down on tight end by drafting Tucker Kraft at pick 78 in the third round. Out of those three day two pass catchers the Packers drafted, Luke Musgrave is in prime position to have an immediate impact on the Packers and should be on everyone’s Fantasy Football draft boards.

First, Musgrave joined an extremely thin Packers tight end room before the draft. They already did not get much production at all during the 2022 season. On top of this, they lost their best receiving tight end in Robert Tonyan to the Chicago Bears and did not re-sign the now 39-year-old tight end Marcedes Lewis, who was mainly used as a blocker, would also end up joining the Bears. So Musgrave enters a situation where he should be an immediate starter and easily the best receiving tight end on the team. 

Luke Musgrave’s measurables and athleticism are also borderline off the charts. At 6’6” tall and 253 pounds, he runs an incredibly fast 4.61 40-yard-dash for his size.  He also has a 36 inch vertical, 10’5” broad jump, and 10 and 3/8th inch hands. According to Kent Lee Platte, who created a system called RAS (Relative Athletic Score) for measuring the athleticism of football players on a scale of 1-10, Musgrave scored a 9.78. Out of 1105 tight ends who entered the NFL between 1987 and 2023, Musgrave ranked 25th out of all of them. 

Luke Musgrave’s Measureables from the 2023 NFL combine and his RAS score. (Via Kent Lee Platte @MathBomb on X)

At first glance, Musgrave’s college stats may have some wondering how he possibly could have been a second round pick. However, in his senior season, he played just two games due to injury but absolutely balled out in those two games. He was Oregon State’s leading receiver in both those games before his season ended prematurely, totaling 11 catches, 169 yards, and a touchdown. His pace for a monster 2022 senior season combined with his incredible athleticism more than justify his draft slot and he quite possibly could have been the first tight end off the board in the 2023 draft had he been healthy. Considering the situation he was drafted into where a young, first year starting QB will likely need a reliable “safety blanket” who is consistently open on short and intermediate routes and that he will be an immediate starter, Musgrave is a must-draft for your 2023 fantasy team that others in your league are likely sleeping on.