Packers select SDSU's Kraft in third round of NFL Draft; Watertown grad Waege signs with 49ers

BROOKINGS — One of the new additions to the new-look Green Bay Packers is Timber Lake native and South Dakota State University tight end Tucker Kraft.

The Packers, who traded their legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets this week, drafted Kraft with the 15th pick in the third round (78th overall) Friday night during the 2023 National Football League Draft.

Earlier in the night, the Packers took Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave in the second round (No. 42).

Kraft, a 6-foot-4, 254-pounder made 99 receptions for 1,211 yards and nine touchdowns in 32 collegiate games for the Jackrabbits. He was limited to nine games due to ankle injury last fall, but still caught 27 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns for a South Dakota State team that capped a 14-1 season with its first FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) national title.

More: What to know about Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State tight end and Green Bay Packers third-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft

He earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors and also was named to the AP FCS All-America third team.

Kraft's best season with the Jackrabbits came as a junior when he caught 65 passes for 773 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games.

Kraft ran a 4.69 in the 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 1.59 10-yard split. He recorded a 4.62 time in the 40 at his pro day with a 36½-inch vertical.

His father Doug played football at the former Huron University and had a tryout with the NFL's Miami Dolphins in 1997. He died when Tucker was 12 in 2013.

Kraft is the third South Dakota State University tight end to be selected in the NFL Draft. Steve Heiden was taken in the third round (No. 69) by the San Diego Chargers in 1999 and the Philadelphia Eagles selected Britton native Dallas Goedert in the second round (No. 49) in 2018.

Heiden played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Chargers and Cleveland Browns, catching 201 passes for 1,689 yards and 14 touchdowns. He's also enjoyed a lengthy coaching career in the NFL and currently is the tight ends coach for the Detreoit Lions.

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Goedert completed his fifth season with the Eagles earlier this year and has tallied 248 receptions for 2,997 yards and 19 touchdowns to date.

North Dakota State University offensive tackle Cody Mauch also was drafted on Friday night. He was taken in the second round (No. 48) by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

South Dakota State defeated North Dakota State in the FCS Championship game 45-21 in January.

Four other NDSU players signed free-agent deals with NFL teams after the draft, including South Shore native and 2017 Watertown High School graduate Spencer Waege. The 6-5, 295-pound defensive end signed with the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time All-American and All-Missouri Valley Conference player, Waege was a three-year starter who started 29 of the 57 games he played for at NDSU. He was part of a Bison program that went 78-8 with four FCS national championships (2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021) and four MVFC titles in six years.

"We had talked to the 49ers during the seventh round of the draft. We got it all figured out and locked in," said Waege. "I am happy with it, it's a really good fit."

Waege, who grew up on the family farm near South Shore, said his dream as a kid was to play in the National Football League.

The time has come for that opportunity.

"I think in a couple of weeks I'll get on a plane and fly out to San Francisco for rookie minicamp. That'll last until mid-June, then I'll have some time back home before heading back out to get ready for the season," he said.

Other NDSU players who signed as undrafted free agents after the conclusion of the draft on Saturday include tight end Noah Gindorff (Seattle Seahawks), left guard Nash Jensen (Carolina Panthers) and fullback Hunter Luepke (Dallas Cowboys).

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Green Bay Packers draft South Dakota State tight end Tucker Kraft