Packers take TE Musgrave, WR Reed in 2nd round of NFL draft

By STEVE MEGARGEE
AP Sports Writer

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers got a couple weapons for new starting quarterback Jordan Love by selecting Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave and Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday night.

Green Bay chose Musgrave with the 42nd overall selection, a pick they acquired in the trade that sent four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets.

The Packers also entered the night with the No. 45 selection in the draft, but they sent that to Detroit in a trade that brought them the No. 48 choice and a fifth-round pick. They then moved down two more spots and got a sixth-round pick from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before taking Reed at No. 50.

Green Bay entered this draft needing to find more targets for Love, who had made just one start while backing up Rodgers the last three seasons.

Although Green Bay drafted three receivers last year – North Dakota State’s Christian Watson in the second, Nevada’s Romeo Doubs in the fourth and Nebraska’s Samori Toure in the seventh – the position still ranks as one of the Packers’ biggest needs.

Allen Lazard, who had 60 catches for 788 yards last season to lead the Packers in both categories, left for the Jets in free agency. Randall Cobb also is a free agent. Watson and Doubs are the only wideouts under contract who had at least 100 yards receiving last season.

The Packers’ top returning tight ends are Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis, who combined to catch 17 passes for 140 yards last season. Veteran Marcedes Lewis, who had the second-highest snap total among Packers tight ends, is a free agent.

Green Bay is taking a chance on the upside of Musgrave, who was slowed by injuries in college. He had just 47 catches for 633 yards and two touchdowns overall, including 11 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown in Oregon State’s first two games last season before a knee injury knocked him out for the rest of the year.

The 6-foot-6 Musgrave is the nephew of former NFL quarterback and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave.

Reed, who is 5-foot-11, began his college career at Western Michigan before spending three seasons at Michigan State. He caught 55 passes for 636 yards and five touchdowns last season after collecting 59 receptions for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2021. He also is a quality punt returner.

Although the Packers haven’t drafted a receiver in the first round since taking Florida State’s Javon Walker at No. 20 in 2002, they’ve had great success finding wideouts in the second round.

Some of their second-round picks over the last two decades have included Greg Jennings (2006), Jordy Nelson (2008), Cobb (2011) and Davante Adams (2014). They traded up in the second round last year to take Watson, who had seven receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in his rookie season.

This was billed as a particularly strong draft class for tight ends, but the Packers opted against taking one with the 13th overall pick and instead selected Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness, the 11th time in the last 12th drafts they’ve used their first selection on a defensive player.

The only tight end taken in the first round was Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, who went 25th overall to the Buffalo Bills. Two more tight ends went early in the second round when the Lions selected Iowa’s Sam LaPorta at No. 34 and the Las Vegas Raiders took Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer at No. 35.

Green Bay also had a third-round pick Friday at No. 78 overall and eight more selections on Saturday.

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