Tucker Kraft was having the kind of season that makes people in Green Bay forget about the tight end position’s long history of inconsistency. Then his right knee buckled in Week 9, and the 2025 season was over for him just like that. ACL tear. Done.
But the league noticed what he was doing before he went down. And according to a recent poll of NFL coaches, scouts and executives, Kraft hasn’t dropped off the map. He checked in at No. 6 on ESPN’s list of the league’s best tight ends, with plenty of people around the league expecting him to climb higher once he’s healthy.
“His speed and run-after-catch ability really stand out,” an NFC executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “He was just scratching the surface before the injury. And he’s a high-level blocker.”
The Numbers Were Getting Ridiculous
Before the ACL tear, Kraft was on pace for 1,000-plus yards and 10 touchdowns. In the eight games he actually played, he caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six scores. That tied him for the team lead in touchdowns despite missing almost half the season. Think about that.
His breakout came early. In Week 2, Kraft torched a defense for 124 yards on a Thursday night. Six weeks later against Pittsburgh, he did something no Packers tight end had ever done before: 140 receiving yards and multiple touchdown catches in the same game. That’s not just good. That’s franchise history.
He had 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns the year before. So the trajectory was heading straight up. Over 42 career games, he’s put up 113 catches, 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns. Those are starter numbers, not backup production.
What Comes Next
The immediate priority is getting Kraft back on the field. ACL recoveries have come a long way, but there’s no rushing the kind of tear he suffered. The Packers have been careful, and they’re not going to push him before he’s ready.
But when he does return, the league expects him to keep climbing. Nobody’s writing him off because of one bad play. The tape from 2025 showed a player who could block, run after the catch and create mismatches. That combination doesn’t grow on trees.
Kraft is still just scratching the surface, according to people who’ve watched him up close. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the NFC North.
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