There’s no denying it: Tucker Kraft’s 2025 season was something special—and it ended far too soon. Yes, the Green Bay Packers likely missed his presence during a deeper playoff push, and yes, he'll spend the entire 2026 offseason recovering from a torn ACL. But beyond the team’s loss, football fans everywhere were robbed of a half-season of jaw-dropping highlights from the NFL’s most explosive receiver after the catch.

Calling a 6-foot-5, 259-pound tight end the league’s best YAC (yards after catch) weapon might sound like hyperbole. But the numbers from Kraft’s eight games in 2025 back it up—and they put him in a class of his own, not just among tight ends, but among all wide receivers too.

Let’s set the stage: Running backs are a different breed when it comes to YAC. They typically catch the ball near or behind the line of scrimmage, with blockers already in front of them. Tight ends and wide receivers, on the other hand, run routes farther downfield and often have to create their own space after the catch. That’s where Kraft truly separated himself.

In just eight games, Kraft hauled in 32 of 44 targets for 489 yards and six touchdowns. That’s an average of 15.3 yards per catch—tying him with standout wide receiver Terry McLaurin for eighth best in the entire NFL. But raw yards per reception only scratches the surface. It’s the after-catch magic that makes Kraft a unicorn.

According to Pro Football Reference’s advanced receiving metrics, Kraft averaged a staggering 10.8 yards after the catch in 2025 among players with at least 34 targets. That ranked third in the NFL, trailing only running backs Jaylen Warren and Bijan Robinson. Impressive company? Absolutely. But here’s the kicker: Kraft was the only wide receiver or tight end in the entire top tier of that leaderboard. No other pass-catcher at his position came close to matching his YAC efficiency.

So, while the Packers wait for his return, the rest of us are left wondering what could have been—and eagerly anticipating the day this powerful, elusive tight end is back on the field, turning short passes into highlight-reel runs.