2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

January 22, 2023 1:00 PM EST

Evaluated by: Sam Teets
sam.teets86@gmail.com
Twitter: Sam_Teets33
December 5, 2022

Prospect Overview

2022: 2 games
2021: 13 games
2020: 7 game
2019: 12 games

Musgrave was a three-star recruit from Bend Senior High School in Bend, Ore. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 764 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 801 for On3.com. Musgrave was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals. Musgrave was an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100.

He started for two varsity seasons in high school, playing tight end, wide receiver, and defensive end. Musgrave earned team MVP honors and was a First-Team All-League selection at both tight end and defensive end. As a high school senior, he produced 31 receptions for 563 yards and recorded 42 tackles on defense.

Musgrave lettered for three seasons in lacrosse and earned First-Team All-League selections as a sophomore and junior. He participated in track and competed in ski racing, winning championships in giant slalom and super giant slalom alpine ski races. Musgrave committed to Oregon State over offers from Cal, Oregon, and Utah State.

Musgrave has a brother named Colt. His father, Doug Musgrave, played quarterback at Oregon in 1991 and 1992. Luke's uncle Bill Musgrave played quarterback at Oregon from 1987-1990 before being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He spent several years in the NFL, playing for multiple teams. Bill went on to have a long coaching career that included offensive coordinator roles with the Carolina Panthers, Virginia Cavaliers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, and most recently the Denver Broncos.

The Oregon State tight end is a fourth-year junior unofficially listed at 6'6", 250 lbs. on the program's website. Musgrave made one start as a freshman, three as a sophomore, and nine in his third season with the team. He entered 2022 as the full-time starter.

Musgrave was off to a blazing start in 2022, catching 11 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown through his first two games. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury at the end of Oregon State's game against Fresno State on Sept. 10, prematurely ending his season.

Positives

Musgrave has extensive special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and field goal units and even returned a blocked punt for a touchdown in 2021. The Oregon State product primarily lines up in-line and in the slot. Musgrave appears to have above-average arm length, a large wingspan, and massive mitts to corral the football. There's also room on his frame to add muscle mass.

Musgrave is quick off the line and uses his long strides to cover ground quickly. His speed threatens defenses down the seam and challenges linebackers in man-to-man. The former three-star recruit maintains good speed into and out of cuts. He primarily generates yards after the catch with his speed instead of power.

Musgrave has the size and frame to box defenders out for the football. He displays good body control along the sideline and tracks the ball well. The Oregon native runs a diverse route tree for a college tight end. He showcases some lateral bounce and fairly fluid hips while running routes.

Musgrave is excellent at selling his block and then leaking out on a route. He possesses the strength to seal defenders inside or out on run plays. Musgrave fires out of his stance low and with proper leverage as a blocker. He packs more than enough power to displace defensive backs and give linebackers trouble.

Musgrave appeared on Bruce Feldman's 2022 Freaks List for The Athletic. Per Feldman, the tight end logged a 36.5-inch vertical jump and a 10'1 3/4" broad jump over the summer of 2022. He also ran a 4.51 40-yard dash and a 4.21 20-yard shuttle. All of those numbers would've ranked first among tight ends at the 2022 NFL Combine, except for the 10'1 3/4" broad jump, which would've ranked third.

Musgrave is arguably the most physically gifted tight end in this class from an athletic standpoint. Being able to generate separation and run routes at all three levels are essential skills for high round selections, and Musgrave checks those boxes.

Areas for Improvement

Musgrave isn't immune to drops and has limited experience in pass protection. There are some body catches on his tape, and he hasn't thrived in contested catch situations. The junior is muscular but lean, leading to him struggling to break tackles and being re-routed by contact early in his stem. He doesn't play bully ball at the catch point yet.

Getting in an NFL weight room should help Musgrave fill out his frame. The only concern is that adding more weight will sap his speed. At his current strength level, Musgrave is vulnerable to jams at the line of scrimmage and will struggle to support the run game as a blocker.

Musgrave's routes are more rounded than sharp, and he doesn't generate consistent separation against defensive backs. His linear speed stresses linebackers and beats some defensive backs, but safeties and slot corners could put the clamps on Musgrave early in his professional career.

Teams might have reservations about the Oregon State product's injuries and lack of production. He missed all but two games this past year with a season-ending injury, finishing his college career with 47 receptions for 633 yards and two touchdowns on roughly 80 targets.

Musgrave allows defenders into his chest as a blocker. He struggles to sustain blocks and has a questionable anchor. The Oregon State product's hands deploy late as a blocker and tend to be low and wide. Musgrave doesn't displace linemen and is inconsistent displacing linebackers. He struggles to mirror second level defenders in the open field when lead blocking and is occasionally beaten across his face. There are instances of his pad level getting too high.

Technical development as a blocker will be essential for Musgrave. Teams that rely heavily on in-line blockers might avoid the fourth-year junior if they're unsure he has the capacity to improve in this area.

Draft Stock

The 2023 NFL Draft features one of the best tight end classes in recent history. There's a good chance as many as seven tight ends go in the first four rounds, including Dalton Kincaid (Utah), Tucker Kraft (South Dakota State), Sam LaPorta (Iowa), Michael Mayer (Notre Dame), Musgrave, Cade Stover (Ohio State), and Darnell Washington (Georgia).

There's also a contingent of quality mid to late-day three tight ends, including Davis Allen (Clemson), Kemari Averett (Bethune-Cookman), Payne Durham (Purdue), Zack Kuntz (Old Dominion), Cameron Latu (Alabama), Will Mallory (Miami), Luke Schoonmaker (Michigan), Brenton Strange (Penn State), Travis Vokolek (Nebraska), and Josh Whyle (Cincinnati), plus wild card Jahleel Billingsley (Texas).

The plethora of draftable tight ends could push the top prospects down the board as teams prioritize positional value. However, it's hard to see a world where Musgrave falls past the middle of the third round. I gave him a late-second round to mid-third round evaluation based on his tape from 2021 and 2022.

All eyes will be on Musgrave at the Senior Bowl as he competes alongside Allen, Durham, Kincaid, Latu, Mallory, and Whyle. He has a lot to gain in Mobile because he only played two games this past season. A strong performance will skyrocket Musgrave up boards. Teams will also want to check on his medical status at the NFL Combine to ensure there's no long-term damage from his injury in September.

Player Comparison

The popular comparison floating around the internet for Musgrave is former Eagles and current Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz. While there are some similarities between the Oregon State product and Ertz, I also view Musgrave as comparable to 2022 third round pick Greg Dulcich.

The Denver Broncos selected Dulcich with the 80th overall pick in last year's draft. Dulcich amassed 42 receptions for 725 yards and five touchdowns in his final year with UCLA. He finished his rookie season with 33 receptions for 441 yards and two scores.

Dulcich spent a slight majority of his college career taking snaps in-line as opposed to the slot. Musgrave also spent most of his college career in-line while still taking significant snaps in the slot. However, Dulcich became a more slot dominant tight end in the NFL, which hides his limitations as a blocker while allowing his speed and route running to shine. That's a path Musgrave could take early in his career.

Musgrave already appears to have better functional strength and body control than Dulcich, and he projects to be a better blocker after some time in the weight room. The two are projected to have similar measurables with roughly 80-inch wingspans and arms over 33-inches.

The Ertz comparison also holds water. The former Pro Bowler entered the NFL with questions about his leverage and form as a blocker, ability to generate yards after the catch, play strength, inconsistent production in contested catch situations, and route definition. Almost all of those questions apply to Musgrave. The largest wart with this comparison is that Musgrave is a better athlete than Ertz and should blow away the Stanford product's combine numbers.

I also considered a comparison to Penn State product Mike Gesicki. There's a world where Musgrave develops into a Gesicki-style NFL tight end. However, Musgrave already has better functional strength than Gesicki, while the former Pro Bowler is a more natural and high-end athlete.

Games Evaluated

• Washington State (2020)
• Colorado (2021)
• Oregon (2021)
• Utah State (2021)
• Boise State (2022)
• Fresno State (2022)

Scouting Video Courtesy of Devy to Dynasty Football