Fresh off a major injury, the Green Bay Packers' elite playmaker returns to try to anchor a Super Bowl run. Discover why Tucker Kraft is primed for All-Pro dominance.
We're officially 3 days from the start of the 2026 NFL season for the Green Bay Packers. Whether you're ready or not, football season is here.
The Packers kick off their 2026 season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13, from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Talk about pressure. The Vikings are certainly in a transitional place as a franchise, but getting going against an NFC North foe ratchets up the intensity of this season from the get-go.
It's a big season for the Packers. There's a belief that they're in a Super Bowl window right now, which means every single game is important. That means the intensity will be there in Week 2 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets and it will certainly be there in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, when the Packers will play at Lambeau Field for the first time in 2026.
There's going to be a lot of proverbial ink spilled on this 2026 season and we here at PackersRoundtable hope that you spend as much time as possible with us talking about the ins and outs and ups and downs of the Packers.
As we prepare for the 2026 season, though, we're going to kick things off with a rankings series looking at the Top 50 Packers heading into the 2025 season.
At No. 3 we have tight end Tucker Kraft
Ranking the Top 50 Packers Heading Into 2026: No. 3, Tucker Kraft
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.Tucker Kraft has a chance to become the best tight end in the NFL by the end of this season.
He has it all. He's big enough at 6-foot-5, 259 pounds, but he's also deceptively fast and athletic. He's got good hands and is a great route-runner, but he's also elite after the catch. There's a reason they call him Kraft YAC-and Cheese. His ability to get yards after the catch has been unmatched amongst tight ends.
A third round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft out of South Dakota State, Kraft has slowly but surely become the real deal for the Packers.
If it wasn't for the torn ACL he suffered in Week 9 of the 2025 season, he was heading for an All-Pro campaign.
In three seasons, he's caught 113 passes for 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns. He's averaged an elite 9.1 yards after the catch so far in his career.
All indications in training camp suggest that he's back and better than ever. He's got to prove it when the hits are for real, of course, but Kraft is as tough as they come and he's also a leader for the Packers. Not only is he a team captain this season, but he's practicing and playing while in contract talks with the team.
There are no holdouts for Kraft. He does it for the love of the game as well as for the love of the Packers, and you just can't beat that if you love Green Bay football.
2025 Synopsis:
As mentioned, that torn ACL stole what was shaping up to be an incredible season for both Kraft and the Packers. In just eight games played, he caught 32-of-44 targets for 489 yards and six touchdowns.
Kraft averaged 15.3 yards per catch and 10.8 yards after the catch, ranking third in the NFL and first among wide receivers and tight ends. In fact, the next wide receiver or tight end in the rankings was Rashee Rice at No. 20, which shows you just how special Kraft was with the football in his hands.
Notable Quotables:
"I will be on the field to play for the Green Bay Packers, regardless of any contract situation, because I love this team, and you can't replicate this locker room anywhere else in the NFL." - Tucker Kraft
Projected Role in 2026:
Kraft is going to stay healthy and he's going to get that All-Pro season. He'll be the Packers' leading receiver when all is said and done and he'll be thought of as an elite player league-wide.
Previous Rankings:
