2023 NFL Draft prospect profile - Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State

We’ve talked up the depth and breadth of talent at the cornerback and edge positions in the 2023 NFL Draft, but the tight end position might be the most thoroughly talented in this draft class. The problem, of course, is that tight ends don’t have the positional value that the others positions have.

But still, we could see a lot of very good tight ends come out of this draft, and they could be drafted higher than some are expecting.

Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave (nephew of long-time NFL coach Bill Musgrave) was expected to have a breakout season in 2022. He got off to a strong start in his first two games, only for that season to be ended early by an undisclosed knee injury.

And with him out of sight, he slipped out of mind for many draft evaluators. But then he proved to be one of the most athletic players at the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl — where he also received a clean bill of health — and he was suddenly back on the radar at large. Musgrave’s rise continued with a great showing at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, and now he’s back to being considered one of the top tight end prospects in the draft.

Musgrave has the potential to be a complete tight end at the NFL level, but right now is considered to be a better receiving tight end than blocker. Could that make him a dark-horse in the first two rounds for the Giants, who’ve already invested pretty heavily in pass catchers?

Prospect: Luke Musgrave (88)
Games Watched: vs. Oregon (2021), vs. Boise State (2022), vs. Fresno State (2022)
Red Flags: Knee (undisclosed - 2022)

Measurables

Courtesy Kent Lee Platte (@mathbomb) | RAS.football

Career Stats

Games Played: 20
Receptions: 47
Yards (YPC): 633 (13.5 per catch)
Touchdowns: 2

2021 Stats

Games Played: 10
Receptions: 22
Yards (YPC): 304 (13.8 per catch)
Touchdowns: 1

Quick Summary

Best: Size, athleticism, route running, hands
Worst: Run blocking, health
Projection: An important number two tight end with starting upside and scheme diversity

Game Tape

Full Report

Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave has a nearly prototypical blend of size, athleticism, and versatility to play tight end at the NFL level.

Musgrave has very good size for an NFL tight end at 6-foot 5 ⅞ inches, 253 pounds, with 32 ⅝ inch arms and 10 ⅜ inch hands, and is also an excellent athlete for the position. Musgrave has good linear speed and explosiveness, as well as surprising quickness and agility for a bigger tight end. He played out of multiple alignments in Oregon State’s offense, lining up as an in-line and detached tight end, as an H-back, and as a receiver depending on the down, distance, and personnel package.

Musgrave is a good and athletic route runner as a pass catcher. He’s quick out of his stance and is able to navigate traffic around the line of scrimmage without being knocked off of his route. He runs a relatively diverse route tree for a college tight end and was used as a weapon at all three levels of the defense. Musgrave has enough agility to execute quick timing routes, whip and come-back routes to the intermediate area of the field, and the speed to threaten the defense vertically. His breaks are relatively crisp and he does a good job of finding the voids in zone coverage. Musgrave also has good awareness in scramble drills to recognize when his QB is in trouble and make himself available.

He’s a natural, reliable, and confident hands catcher as a receiver, and can be an effective safety blanket for quarterbacks. Musgrave does a good job of locating and tracking the ball in the air, and has the body control to make adjustments at the catch point. He makes good use of his length by extending and catching the ball away from his body. He also routinely uses his agility to make fine adjustments at the catch point to place his body between the ball and defenders.

As a blocker, Musgrave is at his best in pass protection when delivering chip blocks as he releases into his routes. His athleticism and size provides upside when blocking in space on running or screen plays. Musgrave has the speed to get into position against off-ball linebackers or safeties, and the agility to deliver accurate blocks in space.

While Musgrave can be considered a “complete” tight end who can play in an 11-personnel package, he still needs development as a blocker. Musgrave is a willing pass protector and run blocker, but he’s more of an obstacle than a blocker at this point in his development. Musgrave is able to delay and “lose slowly” to pass rushers at the collegiate level, but he could struggle against NFL edge defenders to start his career in the NFL.

Likewise, he “won” through positioning as an in-line blocker at the college level and was more of an obstacle than a blocker.

NFL teams will want to do their due diligence on the health of Musgrave’s knee. He received a full medical clearance at the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl, and even took a similar hit to the one that ended his 2022 season without issue. That said, teams will want to be sure, not just about his current health, but also his long-term prognosis.

Overall Grade: 7.8

Projection

Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave projects as a starting tight end with scheme versatility at the NFL level.

It might be best for Musgrave to start out his career as an important number two tight end in a 12-personnel set as he hones his blocking skills. However, he has the ceiling to be a starting tight end in an 11-personnel offense in the NFL. Musgrave isn’t regarded as a good blocking tight end right now, but there were enough flashes of upside in that regard to give confidence that he can at least be an adequate blocker for an NFL offense.

Pass catching will be his calling card, however. NFL teams are getting better at incorporating athletes at positions other than receiver in their passing games to attack defenses in unexpected ways. Musgrave doesn’t quite have elite size or athleticism, but he has a very good blend of the two traits and should prove to be a tough matchup for linebackers and defensive backs alike. He’s already a solid route runner and a natural “hands” catcher, and can contribute immediately as a receiving tight end.

Luke Musgrave has the potential to be a complete and very good tight end if he can bring his blocking up enough for teams to trust him in high-leverage situations in 11-personnel packages.