Tucker Kraft is a big and athletic tight end. In high school, Kraft was a two-sport athlete. He was primarily a running back and spent time as a linebacker and punter. He had 3,130 rushing yards and 50 total touchdowns across four years in high school. On defense, Kraft recorded 142 tackles and eight sacks. Kraft was also a star basketball player in high school, averaging 14.2 points, eight rebounds and two steals per game. Kraft spent three seasons as a member of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. In 31 games, Kraft accumulated 1,211 yards and nine touchdowns on 99 receptions. Kraft is six-foot-five and weighs 254 pounds. He ran the forty-yard dash in 4.69 seconds, had a vertical jump of 34 inches, ran the three-cone drill in 7.08 seconds, had a shuttle time of 4.29 seconds, and had a broad jump of ten feet and two inches. But Kraft does not have the biggest hands or the longest arms. Still, with a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.68, Kraft’s potential lies in his athletic traits. Kraft is good at catching passes in stride. Kraft is great after the catch because he is fast and tough to tackle. He likes to truck defenders and use his stiff arm to get past defenders. South Dakota State utilized Kraft’s RAC ability on screen passes and tight end sweeps. Despite his speed, Kraft is not the shiftiest route runner. While he is a good route runner, he is not fast coming out of his breaks because he cannot plant one foot and then accelerate. He has good hand-eye coordination and concentration on tight window throws. He is good at making contested catches but not great. He has the frame to develop into an impactful red zone threat at the NFL level. In addition to his impact as a receiving threat, Kraft is also a good run blocker. Kraft uses his strong arms to latch onto defenders in the run game, and his speed allows him to get to the second level to block linebackers and cornerbacks. His big frame makes it hard for members of the opposing secondary to get around him. Kraft can hold his own against most defensive linemen. However, he can sometimes get tossed aside if a defensive lineman overpowers him. In recent memory, we have seen multiple tight ends drafted in the later rounds of the NFL draft go on to be stars. In 2013, the Kansas City Chiefs selected Travis Kelce with the 63rd overall pick. In 2017, the San Francisco 49ers selected George Kittle with the 146th overall pick. In 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Dallas Goedert with the 49th overall pick. Like Kraft, Goedert also played his college ball at South Dakota State. Overall, Tucker Kraft can provide the Bears with another receiving threat as Justin Fields continues to develop in Luke Getsy’s offense. He can be the third-string tight end and rise up the depth chart if either Robert Tonyan, Cole Kmet, or both leave after this season. I project Tucker Kraft to be selected in the late second to the late third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Bears could draft him with the 64th overall pick or later in the third round if they trade back for extra draft capital.It is a deep draft for TEs and would not be surprising to see the #Bears add one to the fold next week. South Dakota State's Tucker Kraft, a physical player with pass-catching upside, made a pre-draft visit to Halas Hall.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) April 20, 2023
