Bloodlines -Luke Musgrave, Oregon State Beavers

First-Round for Oregon State’s tight-end (TE) Luke Musgrave? First Round Mock’s NFL Draft Analyst William Yanish thinks so, and he believes he’ll be a star based on his roots, and because of his specific background.

As soon as I saw the name Musgrave, things started clicking.

I remembered quarterback (QB) Bill Musgrave from Grand Junction, Colorado. He is also an Oregon Duck legend. This one hits close to home – – like a mile down the road at Central High School close to home.

NFL Bloodlines

As soon as I put the name Musgrave in my search-engine, boom! There was Ol’ Billy, and his nephew Luke. My town isn’t known for much, but Bill Musgrave stands out.

He was an all-conference QB and safety at Central High, and additionally, a back-up QB for my Niners (1991-1994). Even though he hardly ever played (12 games) in his eight-seasons in the league, he was someone close by to be able to strive to be like.

Luke’s father, Doug, was a clipboard holding QB at The University of Oregon, after Bill moved onto the NFL in 1991.

Bill has since sustained a run of offensive coordinator/quarterback coaching jobs in the NFL.

His football IQ just flows.

The next Musgrave

This brings us to this 6-foot-6, 250 pound TE.

No doubt, an imposing force at Oregon State University.

After being stuck behind the mauling TE Teagan Quitoriano, a fifth-round pick of the Texans (2022), Musgrave took over the starting role.

That’s when it happened.

Just two games into the 2022 season BOOM! Season-ending knee injury for Musgrave. He was on a stifling pace to start the season, producing 11 catches for 169 yards, and a TD, before this happened.

Prior to the injury, Musgrave showed he is an all-around TE who is a great receiver, with good blocking skills. He rarely allows sacks, or pressures in pass protection situations.

Running down the seams and posts down the middle of the field while having opportunities to create mismatches, is his speciality. Of course, that happens when he’s not streaking up the sideline to snag long passes.

Granted, he could add to his route tree.

What the game film says about Big #88

Musgrave is a tall drink of water, and he runs crisp routes, despite his towering size.

He additionally bails out his QB when things go bad.

Musgrave has talent.

This Beavers’ TE runs crisp routes, with other worldly explosive acceleration going in and coming out of his cuts. He attacks zone coverages and the end zone itself like nobody’s business. A true red-zone threat, who can run away from defensive backs in man coverage.

He shows excellent body-control and catch radius getting vertical, and out-muscling defenders for passes.

There’s also the deceptive 4.51 (40-yard-dash-time) complete with a 36.5″ vertical.

Musgrave does everything asked of him, and he reads defenses and coverage concepts impressively like he himself is a QB (played QB at Bend High School, in Bend Oregon).

Bottom line

I’ve been talking about the number of possible first-round TE’s in the 2023 NFL Draft.

It’s a special year for the position.

With Musgrave, you have to wager on his potential, and the tools he possesses.

He’s more athletic, faster, bigger, and possibly more intelligent than most of the guy’s trying to cover him. Clocked at 20.5 MPH (GPS tracking) at the Senior Bowl practices, Musgrave has a chance to be a star.

The mismatches for Musgrave at the NFL level should be numerous.

He’s everything you want, and his attributes match many previous first-rounders at the position.

If he doesn’t go in the opening round, I feel there will be General Managers across the league kicking themselves when they see the player he becomes.

My BIG Three Questions

1. What can he do to cement first-round consideration?

2. Used mostly for blocking at Oregon State, will that continue when he reaches the next level?

3. Will he be healthy his rookie season, so his growth isn’t stunted?

How Musgrave stacks up and game film reviewed

Draft grade: First-round

Pro comparison: The second coming of Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

Game film reviewed:

Oregon ‘21 (Best)

Fresno State ‘22

Boise State ‘22 

William Yanish III is a life long football fan. He’s from the little town of Crawford, Colorado. Along the way, he’s lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska and Brookings, Oregon. Quarterback Joe Montana was his idol growing up. A little bit of CTE from life’s adventures killed his dreams as a football player. Now, he is an aspiring writer and Draft Analyst at FirstRoundMock.com. He’s a fanatic with a dream, which is coming true.