Tucker Kraft 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the South Dakota State TE

Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State

6’5”, 255 pounds; JR

Despite being an all-state player at running back, Kraft didn’t receive any FBS offers until Wyoming came in late, but he had already decided on the local Jackrabbits instead. After not seeing the field as a freshman and only catching seven passes in the spring of 2021, he hauled in 65 balls for 780 yards and six touchdowns the following fall (15 games), making him a first-team All-FCS selection. Last year, he only played in nine contests, across which he caught 27 balls for 348 yards and three TDs.

+ Certainly not saying that he’s that type of player, but Kraft purely from an optics aspect looked like former SDSU star Dallas Goedert, as a big body, who can really move

+ Presents good girth throughout his frame, with a powerful lower half and the play-strength to lock horns with defensive linemen

+ Can create momentum on edge defenders at the point of attack as well as hinge-/reach-block away from the action equally well

+ Was asked to execute insert blocks and wrap-arounds on the play-side backer quite a bit, and did so to great effect, frequently creating knock-backs at contact

+ Even as defenders accelerate into him and arch his back initially, he displays the balance to re-gain control, keep his legs churning and move those guys for the most part

+ Shows patience to not overrun targets in space typically

+ San Diego State put him at the tip of tight bunch sets regularly, where he was typically able to get the butt of the defender across from him to be pointed at the sideline and offer the ball-carrier plenty of space inside of him

+ Overall, I really like his body-control, competitiveness and finishing mentality as a blocker

+ For a guy above the 250-pound mark, Kraft has legit juice and he was regularly deployed on deep overs and benders

+ Along with that, they used his large frame on chips and chip-release stuff, to have him as a dump-off option in the flats

+ Plus, you like what he presents as a big target over the middle on digs and hooks, making him a three-level threat

+ Instantly gets his head around as he clears the underneath coverage

+ SDSU put him as the de-facto X receiver in three-by-one sets and used his big frame on slant routes frequently

+ Tested in the 62nd percentile or better for the position at every single combine event

+ Kraft’s large mitts really swallow the ball and he fluidly turns his body for passes, without having to slow down

+ Yet he also understands when to wrap up the ball with two arms with people around him

+ Only dropped two of 29 catchable targets this past season

+ As somebody who flashed to me before I saw him anywhere on consensus boards, whenever I saw him catch the ball on the broadcast, he seemed to gain ground on defenders

+ Can beat guys towards the sideline, in combination with the stiff-arm, as well as build up that momentum and steam through guys in his path

+ Once he gets rolling, he becomes a load to bring down with that trunky lower body to slip off hits

+ Uses his off-arm well to swipe away the reach of would-be-tacklers and you can see him switch sides as defenders approach from different sides

+ Despite his physicality, he only fumbled once across 106 career touches

– Wasn’t asked to run many intricate or really any multi-break routes, while the quicks may not be there to really stress defenders with what he does at the break point – You see a lot of rounded cuts, which will not allow him to consistently create separation at the next level

– Not somebody with the juice to threaten safeties and big nickel defenders going down the field

– Has a bad tendency of clapping at the ball occasionally, particularly when having to leave his feet for it

– In the run game, he still needs to work on getting his butt closer to the ground and his hands tighter inside the chest of the defender, to really take advantage of his lower-body strength

– Certainly benefitted from being a man amongst boys in the FCS, where even with his technique, he was able to move people as a blocker and defenders couldn’t really tackle him

Kraft became one of my favorite tight-end prospects during the 2021 season because of his grit and physicality for the position. We’ll have to see how that translates to a high level of competition, but there’s nothing on tape that would suggest he can’t make an impact as a blocker in the NFL if he continues to work on the details in that regard.

As a receiver, there may be some limitations in terms of running away from defenders and I’ll be interested to see how well he fares when asked to become a more precise route-runner. With that being said, what he can bring after the catch, to slip into the flats off bootlegs or peel off as a dump-off option, being able to build up momentum and run through people in his way, I think he has the potential to become a slower version of what George Kittle was early in his career.

Grade: Second round

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