Luke Musgrave 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Oregon State TE
Luke Musgrave, Oregon State
6‘6”, 250 pounds; SR
One of the 1,000 highest-ranked recruits in the country for 2019 as a multi-sport athlete and nephew of Cal OC Bill Musgrave, Luke’s usage increased every single year with the Beavers, going from just two catches as a true freshman, then 12 for 142 yards as a sophomore and 22 for 304 plus a touchdown in 2021. He also blocked a punt and returned it 27 yards for a touchdown in a 42-34 win over Utah and was named the Pac-12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. Musgrave was limited to just two games this past season before injuring his knee, but not before catching 11 passes for 169 yards and a TD.
+ Consistent in his first steps and angles in the run game
+ Works up through contact with tight hands and provides plus effort
+ Regularly is able as edge defenders try to go upfield, to place his hands underneath their pads/arm-pit and get them turned further to the outside
+ Uses the momentum of safeties coming down from depth against them to slightly push them off track and create a lane for the ball carrier
+ His athleticism is a plus, getting him out to the perimeter on fly sweeps and end-arounds
+ While he may not have the physicality to become a legit in-line blocker, you rarely see him miss and his guy makes the tackle and he’s talked himself about the joy he’s found in making a mark in that area, where you see some improvements overall in 2022 and him celebrating after a big conversion on the ground
+ Understands when to let go and avoid being flagged for holding
+ Glides across the field more like a big wide receiver, with 4.61 speed at 253 pounds, looking at his combine measurements (he also had an elite 10’5” broad jump there)
+ Asking linebackers to carry him down the middle is often a recipe for failure – averaged 12.5 yards in average depth of target for his career
+ Has some suddenness to elude contact as guys try to press him off the line and does a great job of attacking the edges of second level defenders, while using his hands to avoid getting hung up with them as he’s stemming down the seams
+ Physical with the way he fights through traffic, trying to release from in-line alignments, but also understands how to be elusive and sneak out on in-and-ups or as an option on delayed releases and trick-play type of stuff
+ Runs a nice dig route, where he really sells vertically and gives a subtle nod to the outside, before breaking away from the safety when matched up one-on-one
+ Crafty with the way he releases on play-action – was utilized on some deep overs and downfield routes off run-fakes (27-yard touchdown versus Boise State in 2022 on drag-and-up)
+ Understands right away when to bring his head around, as he’s entering voids in zone coverage or has cleared the second level down the seams
+ Absorbs the ball with those large paws (10 and 3/8 inches) – extending, plucking and also quickly pulling the ball into his frame
+ Tracks the ball very well over either shoulder
+ Shows impressive flexibility to pull in passes that arrive at his feet
+ Understands when he enters crowded windows and needs to instantly pull it into his belly to protect against nearby defenders raking at it
+ While he only appeared in two games before injuring his knee last year, his 3.38 yards per route run led all FBS tight-ends up to that point and Oregon State’s QB had a passer rating of 132.4 when targeting him
+ Clearly stood above the rest at the Senior Bowl, regularly leaving linebackers and safeties behind in the dust on seam, post and corner routes, along with some nifty head-fakes to win against their leverage and eat away with hook/stick routes during team drills.
– Still learning how to really activate his lower half as a blocker and lacks the sheer physicality you like to see from somebody at his size
– While his initial approach is good, Musgrave doesn’t really attach his hands to the chest of defenders and sustains blocks
– Still fairly raw as a route-runner in large part simply due to a lack of experience, not being super-efficient in the way he sets up his breaks and there’s a lot of rounding them off
– Has the speed to keep on running after the catch for extended yardage, but isn’t really going to make somebody miss or run them over – only forced two missed tackles across 48 career touches
– Doesn’t play particularly strong at the catch point, being able to use his frame and extend for the ball through contact, which resulted in a 38.9% contested catch rate for his career
The fact a tight-end with slightly above 600 career receiving yards, who doesn’t present a great blocking profile, is considered a top-50 prospect is very telling about today’s NFL – it’s all about traits. Musgrave has the prototypical height and elite speed for the position. I do believe with the right coaching and commitment to the weight room, he can become a player who contributes as an in-line blocker, but at this point, he’s Mike Gesicki coming out of Penn State, only without the basketball-like skills to box out and win above the rim.
What he put on display during the Senior Bowl was very intriguing, especially considering it was his first time on a football field in about half a year and he said himself that he isn’t quite back to his former self. To me, he’s more of a late second-rounder, but I believe he can be a seam threat right away and at least take care of some sort of cut-off blocks.
Grade: Late second/early third round
Feel free to head over to halilsrealfootballtalk.com for all my draft breakdowns and check out my YouTube channel for even more NFL content!