​Even after his breakout season was cut short by injury, Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft earned a spot in the top 10 of ESPN’s annual preseason positional rankings. The league’s evaluators placed him at No. 6 overall, trailing only Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, George Kittle, Sam LaPorta, and Tyler Warren. The ranking solidified Kraft as one of the NFL’s premier tight ends, a testament to the potential he showed despite the abrupt halt to his 2024 campaign. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler assembled votes from more than 70 executives, coaches, and scouts to determine the list, and Kraft began the 2025 season as an honorable mention.
From an NFC executive: “His speed and his run-after-catch ability really stand out. He was just scratching the surface before the injury. And he’s a high-level blocker.” Kraft’s highest vote among the panel was a third-place nod, underscoring the regard in which he is held across the league.
Through eight games in 2025, Kraft had posted 32 receptions for 486 yards and six touchdowns before his season was derailed by a torn ACL suffered on November 2 against the Carolina Panthers, causing him to miss the remainder of the year and leaving the campaign’s full potential unfulfilled. “I was on the cusp of putting together one of the greatest seasons by a Packer tight end,” Kraft reflected, via Packers.com writer Mike Spofford. “That was something I was looking forward to, just leaving my legacy in this game and playing as hard as I could every snap for this team, because at the end of the day, the guys in this room, they mean so much to me.”
Despite the setback, Kraft is expected to be ready for Week 1, though he might begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list. The 2023 third-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract, with expectations for a contract extension likely to surface at some point in 2026. In what could become a notable rivalry at the position, Colston Loveland of the Chicago Bears was ranked No. 7 overall by one set of voters, highlighting the tight end talent surrounding the division.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire and notes Kraft’s ascent to a top-10 ranking among NFL tight ends in the preseason, reflecting both his high ceiling and the ongoing challenges he faces as he aims to translate potential into sustained elite production.