NFL Draft Profile: Tucker Kraft, Tight End, South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Tucker Kraft
South Dakota State Jackrabbits
#85
Pos: TE
Ht: 6050
Wt: 254
Hand: 1000
Arm: 3268
Wing: 7938
40: 4.69
DOB: 11/3/2000
Hometown: Timber Lake, SD
High School: Timber Lake
Eligibility: 2023
One Liner:
Kraft lacks elite speed and burst, but his large frame, upside as a blocker, and ability to win contested catches suggest he’ll contribute to a team in several ways early in his career.
Evaluation:
Kraft has experience lining up in-line, the slot, and out wide. The South Dakota native carries his weight with ease and possesses excellent size and density. Kraft still has room to add mass to his lower body, but he’s already strong enough to break arm tackles and shrug off shoulder tackles. He is a long strider who covers ground quickly. Kraft has the strength to play through contact early in the route and frequently physically overpowers defensive backs. His stiff arm is lethal for smaller defenders. Kraft high points and rises to the ball and offers significant upside in contested catch situations. The Timber Lake High School product also adjusts and drops down for low passes. He’s quick off the line and threatens the seam vertically. Kraft displays a strong clamp as a blocker. He usually correctly identifies potential threats and understands his blocking assignments. Kraft is an aggressive and willing blocker who plays angles well. He has the play strength to seal edge defenders and open rush lanes. The former FCS All-American drew nine penalties and dropped nine passes in the past two years. While he covers ground quickly with his strides, Kraft appears to lumber at times. He lacks high-end burst and isn’t sudden or twitchy. Kraft appears to have below-average arm length. He runs a limited route tree, and his routes are more rounded than crisp. There are instances of body catches on his tape. Kraft doesn’t generate consistent separation downfield and doesn’t sink his hips at the top of routes. He’s highly inexperienced in pass protection. His feet stop moving, and his hands deploy late while protecting the quarterback. The redshirt junior lunges into blocks, and his feet are all over the place. Kraft doesn’t block with a consistent base and struggles to land and sustain blocks in space. His pad level is high in all stages of the game.
Grade:
3rd Round
Background:
Tucker Kraft showed out in 2021, where he earned several All-American Honors and First Team All-American nominations. Kraft was also an excellent student in 2021, where he was on the Conference’s Honor Roll in 2021. What made his season so impressive was he had almost eight hundred receiving yards and was second on the team in catches. Kraft is from Timber Lake, South Dakota and attended that school and he played in all three phases of the game, running back, linebacker and punter. As the 2022 season comes near, Kraft will look to have a better season than 2021.
