TE Prospects On Bucs’ Radar Dream Of Coming To Tampa

“Obviously they’ve had a lot of really good tight ends there,” Kincaid said of the Bucs. “I think very highly of Cade Otton, who’s there right now and was a rookie this past year. I think he’s someone who’s going to be really good in the coming years and just going to get better.”

The thought of playing together with Otton is huge reason Kincaid is hoping that the Bucs take on chance on him.

“It’d be a dream come true,” Kincaid said. “I’ve watched those guys for the last 10 years. Got to play against Cade in 2020 during the COVID year. Any offense that wants to put two tight ends on the field, I’d love to be a part of. I feel like the tight end position’s a fun position to play, you got a group of guys, you want as many tight ends as you can get.”

Musgrave spoke highly of Otton at the Senior Bowl and also at the Combine.

“It’d be awesome. He’s a really complete tight end,” Musgrave said. “I watched him a lot in college. He was in the same conference as us. They played a similar scheme. I liked the fact that he didn’t wear gloves, I didn’t really follow suit but I thought it was pretty cool. He was just a hard working tight end that could do everything.”

Payne Durham Could Be New Red Zone Threat

Missing with the retirement of Rob Gronkowski was that big red zone presence for the Bucs, which is partially why they struggled in that area last season. Brate wasn’t the player he used to be and Otton didn’t come on until the latter half of the season.

Durham showed that ability by catching eight touchdown passes last season. He also performed very well during the week of the Senior Bowl in practice where he made some great catches and beat double coverage in the end zone to make some highlight reel catches. His utilization in the red zone is where he sees a fit.

“I think at Purdue my coaches trusted me to make those plays when we got down in the red zone,” Durham said. “I’m very grateful that they did. That’s just one aspect of my game that I think I excelled at the college level.”

Durham had no fewer than three touchdowns in any of his four seasons with the Boilermakers, and totaled 21 in his Purdue career, including eight as a senior.

Who Wouldn’t Want To Move To Tampa?

Tucker Kraft isn’t as well known as the other tight ends partially because he played at FCS school South Dakota State. With that said, there’s a reason he’s on the Bucs radar and decided to meet with him formally, including speaking to Bucs position coach John Van Dam.

Kraft’s best season came in 2021 when he posted 65 receptions for 773 yards and six touchdowns. His 2022 season wasn’t a down year per se, but an ankle injury at the beginning of the season forced him to get surgery on it and miss six games. Kraft recorded 27 catches for 348 yards and three touchdowns, but his average of 12.9 yards per catch was exactly one yard more than the year before.

Kraft has a fun, laid-back type of personality. He discussed the evolution of the tight end position over the years with marquee names such as Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Rob Gronkowski (before he retired) have become some of the faces of the league. It’s helped develop events such as “Tight End U” and brought important attention to the position.

“I do believe that the tight end is the people’s position,” Kraft said. “A lot of us are kind of goofy and we like to hang loose and have fun. I think when you turn on a tight end and you witness their personality firsthand, that’s something that other teams want to emulate. They want to have that kind of guy in their locker room.

“I was fortunate enough this Combine prep to be working out in the same place where they hosted Tight End U, so I got to have all that skill eval. There’s vets coming in and out of the building while we’re working out. I think the tight ends aren’t changing but tight ends are changing the game of football.”

Speaking on his meeting with the Bucs, Kraft was honest about the reality that he’s met with so many teams so quickly at once that they kind of blend together. But when it comes the possibility of moving to Tampa and staying in warm weather, he’s ready to jump at the opportunity. Add in the talent on the Bucs roster and it’s a favorable spot.

“I don’t really have an impression, I had a good time,” Kraft said. “Honestly, it also just be great to get out of South Dakota for a while. At least get through my rookie contract. Getting somewhere warm, that’d be great. Playing on any offense like that – I also think they have a great coaching staff and they have a great defense that you can line up against every single week and practice against. That’d be great.”