With Senior Bowl week in full swing, many position groups were under the close watch of key Bucs’ executives as they evaluate areas of need. One potential need they may look to address in the upcoming draft is at tight end and Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave was one of a handful of players who stood out at the position. Rookie Cade Otton had a solid season for the Bucs with 42 receptions, 391 yards, and two clutch touchdowns, but beyond him, the outlook is murky.

Minus both Brate and Kyle Rudolph, the team may look to add another veteran and a rookie with fresh legs who can stretch the field.

Oregon State TE Musgrave Could Fall Into Bucs’ Lap

This is where Musgrave may come in. In a very deep class at tight end and without a lot of college production due to injury he could slip into Day 2 of the draft.

Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave
– Photo by: USA TODAY Sports

At least three tight ends will likely be selected ahead of him; Michael Mayer of Notre Dame, Dalton Kincaid of Utah, and Darnell Washington of Georgia. Currently, Musgrave ranks as the 31st prospect on the PFF Draft Big Board.

He does come with some durability concerns after only playing in the first two games during his senior season. He suffered an undisclosed knee injury that kept him off the field for the rest of the season. Still, when he was on the field, he was impressive.

Against Boise State in the season opener, Musgrave caught six passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with five receptions for 80 yards against Fresno State. Musgrave caught just 22 passes for 304 yards (13.8 avg.) and one touchdown during his entire junior season.

Musgrave’s 15.4 yards per catch in 2022 would have led any Bucs receiver and demonstrates how impressive he was as a down-field threat. By comparison, Otton only averaged 9.3 yards per catch as the featured tight end in the Bucs’ offense.

Oregon State’s TE Musgrave: “I Love Cade Otton”

If Musgrave were to slip in the draft a couple of rounds, he would be an option for the Bucs and make it easier for him to watch Otton up close.

In his Draft Network interview leading up to the Senior Bowl, Musgrave said that he “[looks] up to Cade Otton a bunch. I watched a lot of his film as I was coming up in college.”

Bucs RB Leonard Fournette and TE Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Talking with Musgrave after the first day of practice on Tuesday afternoon, he continued to mention what he specifically likes about Otton’s game.

“I love Cade Otton,” Musgrave said. “[He’s an] all-around good tight-end, a good guy too.”

He also mentioned Otton being both a well-rounded blocker and receiver. In terms of blocking, he added that he hopes to polish that aspect of his game at the next level.

He also said that he is comfortable with his route tree and aims to be an “every-down, [Travis] Kelce-esque” kind of player in terms of play style and usage.

That is a high standard of play to come close to, but Musgrave may surprise as a large target underneath and someone that cannot be forgotten about as he gets downfield on more vertical routes.

As a hypothetical second tight end within the Bucs’ offense, he could wreak havoc when matched up against smaller defenders and if defenses get sold on play-action. He is a name to monitor throughout the rest of the week and as the evaluation process continues in the weeks ahead.