Packers’ Tucker Kraft cements status as breakout star

Especially after wide receiver Jayden Reed was lost for the next six-to-eight weeks due to a broken collarbone, Kraft may now be the most vital and prolific weapon in quarterback Jordan Love’s supporting cast.

Thursday night, Kraft proved why he’s up to carrying that mantle, by catching six passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. Through two weeks, Kraft has already accounted for 140 yards and two scores.

“It was a career night for Kraft,” Brandon Carwile writes for PackersWire. “As he broke the 100-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career, catching six passes for 124 yards to lead all receivers. Kraft started with two massive catches on the team’s first touchdown drive, including a 57-yard catch-and-run. He then delivered a nice stiff arm on the second touchdown drive for a 17-yard pickup to get the ball to Washington’s 12-yard line. The third-year tight end then capped off his night with an 8-yard touchdown catch to give the Packers a 24-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Kraft hopes to be one of the best tight ends in the league by the end of the season, and certainly looked like one in Week 2.”

If Kraft keeps up this torrid pace for the rest of the season, there is a legitimate possibility that by season’s end, he’ll be viewed alongside the likes of George Kittle, Travis Kelce, and Sam LaPorta among the most prolific, explosive, and impactful players at the position.