Name: Luke Musgrave

School: Oregon State

Year: Junior

Position: Tight End

Measurables: 6’57/12”, 253 lbs. (per Combine Measurements)

Combine: ARM: 32 5/8th” Inches. HAND: 10 3/8”. 40 YARD DASH: 4.61 seconds. 10 YARD SPLIT: 1.54 seconds. VERTICAL JUMP: 36”. BROAD JUMP: 10’5”. 

Stats:

Courtesy of Sports-Reference.com

General Info:

If Luke Musgrave’s name sounds a little familiar to you, it may be because of his uncle—Bill Musgrave was star quarterback for the Oregon Ducks in the late 80s and early 90s and had a five year career as a player in the NFL, where he has been coaching since 1997. While Luke didn’t follow his uncle’s footsteps into becoming a Duck, he is an Oregonian through-and-through, born and raised in Bend before heading to Corvallis to star for the Beavers. In high school, Luke was a letterwinning athlete in Lacrosse, as well as a track runner and ski racer, in addition to his decorated high school football career.

Coming out of high school, Musgrave was listed as a composite three-star recruit by 247Sports, the 37th overall TE in the 2019 recruiting class, and the 5th overall Oregonian. He only received offers from Oregon and Oregon State, choosing the latter because it was “…[Musgrave’s] dream school…”

As a true freshman, Musgrave appeared in all 12 of Oregon State’s games, with one start, but only caught two passes (both in the same game). His sophomore season, the Covid shortened season of 2020, saw a step forward, as he caught 12 passes for 142 yards over the course of the Beaver’s seven games that year. The 2021 season displayed further progress for Musgrave, who started nine of 13 games and had 22 catches for 304 yards and the first TD of his college career. Prior to his final season, Musgrave was named to the Mackey Award Watch List, and started the season in incredible fashion, recording 11 catches for 169 yards and a score in the Beavers’ first two games. Unfortunately, those would be the only games Musgrave appeared in, as he suffered a knee injury and missed the rest of the season.

Despite his limited snaps (only one full season as the Beaver’s primary starting TE), Musgrave declared for the draft after the season, and is seen as a potential day one pick. During Senior Bowl practices, Musgrave was frequently cited as one of the top performers, and reinforced that during the Combine with very strong measurables in the Broad Jump, Vertical Jump, and 40 Yard Dash. 

Positional Skills:

Strengths

Prototypical size for a Tight End.

Really excellent athleticism in general. He was named to Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” and his multi-disciplinary (and somewhat unique) athletic background shows.

While I think the idea of “NFL Bloodlines” are a little silly, for a cerebral position like Tight End, having an NFL-caliber offensive coach in the family certainly is a boon.

Really started to come into his own this season. Would probably have had a MONSTER year, had he not suffered the knee injury.

Reliable hands—and showed some contested catch ability. He should be a good receiving TE in the NFL. 

Versatile. Should be the type of TE that you can stick in the slot or in-line and feel comfortable.

Weaknesses

While there are explanations—Covid, the injury, and the inconsistency of Oregon State’s offense the last few seasons—Musgrave’s lack of snaps and experience is definitely a little concerning. His best season as a receiver was just 304 yards, which was also the only season he played more than 350 snaps for the Beavers.

Still needs work as a blocker. He tends to get high in blocks, which can result in being overpowered pretty quickly.

Much of his receiving production came on seams and block-and-releases in the flat; he’ll need to show he is capable of being productive in intermediate areas of the field.

Does not play through contact well; he is not as explosive as one might hope, and may struggle against more physical coverage, particularly when trying to get off the line.

Fit with the Packers:

With only one TE (Josiah Deguara) under contract for next season, right now there is a definite path to playing time for a rookie Tight End with the Packers. Musgrave could potentially see early snaps as a receiver, though his middling blocking ability will certainly keep him from being an every-down player early on. Additionally, Tight End is infamously one of the most difficult positions when it comes to transitioning to the NFL, so with any rookie TE, there is a real chance that they just will not be productive early on. Musgrave’s athletic ability is enticing though, and while he may be a bit boom-or-bust as a prospect, there is immense potential, and he could easily become a premier TE in the NFL. His best fit is probably a team with an established TE1 that Musgrave can sit behind and contribute rotationally for a bit—similar to what the Eagles did with Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert (the latter of whom is a popular comp for Musgrave). However, if the Packers like Musgrave, I could see them spending a high draft pick on him and bringing in a vet (maybe resigning Marcedes Lewis) to make sure they can focus on his development. I think it is unlikely Musgrave makes it to Green Bay’s second pick, and their current first-rounder might be a little rich, but if the Pack trades back into the 20s, Musgrave could be a home-run selection.