South Dakota State Professional Athletes

Tucker Kraft Is Finding His Stinger Again

It wasn't a flashy stat line, but it was the right kind of performance at the right time. South Dakota State tight end Tucker Kraft hauled in six of seven targets for 42 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay's 17-14 Week 4 win over Tampa Bay — a game the Packers needed badly after a sputtering start to the season.

The score, which pushed Green Bay to a 17-7 lead in the third quarter, was part of back-to-back Packers scores in just over five minutes of clock time. For Kraft, who is working his way back from a torn ACL suffered last season, the outing signaled a step forward — even if he wasn't entirely satisfied.

After the win, Kraft was characteristically blunt. He acknowledged he's been pressing too hard in his recovery, telling reporters he's been "trying to do too much" on the field, leading to drops and uncharacteristic mistakes earlier in the season. His plan heading into the Week 5 matchup against Chicago: get back to basics. "Get back to my roots," as he put it.

Those roots are exactly what Green Bay needs. With wide receiver Jayden Reed sidelined by injury, the Packers are leaning into heavier personnel groupings — more two- and three-tight-end sets — and Kraft is the centerpiece of that adjustment. The offense has been a concern all season: Green Bay ranks last in the NFL in rushing yards and 28th in points per game at 18.3. Kraft himself pointed to focus and execution issues within the unit, not just the offensive line, as a root cause of the struggles.

The Bears game Sunday looms as a proving ground for whether this offensive reconfiguration can hold.

Pierre Strong Jr. Gets His Shot

Kraft isn't the only Jackrabbit in Green Bay's plans for Chicago. Running back Pierre Strong Jr. was promoted from the practice squad to the active 53-man roster on October 8, with starter Chris Brooks' availability for Week 5 in doubt.

Head coach Matt LaFleur spoke glowingly of Strong ahead of the game, calling him a "natural runner" and expressing confidence in his ability to contribute. Strong, a 5-foot-11, 207-pound back who ran a 4.37 40-yard dash, gives the Packers a legitimate speed option in the backfield — something a last-place rushing offense desperately needs.

Two SDSU products on the same active NFL roster heading into a divisional game is a notable moment for the Jackrabbit program.

Dallas Goedert Working Toward Return in Philadelphia

Across the league, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert is fighting his way back from a knee injury that has kept him out of the lineup since Week 2. Goedert was a limited participant in practice Wednesday ahead of Philadelphia's Week 5 matchup with Jacksonville — an encouraging sign after missing two straight games.

His absence has been felt. The Eagles lost their Week 4 game to the Rams while already dealing with a depleted roster, and their tight end depth has been paper-thin without their two-time Pro Bowler. A return, even a limited one, would be a significant boost for a Philly offense trying to stay afloat amid a string of injuries.

Three SDSU alumni made news in the NFL this week — two pushing Green Bay's offense forward, one racing back to health in Philadelphia. The Jackrabbit footprint in the league is real, and it's growing.

Tucker Kraft Steps Into the Fire — Then Steps Back, Carefully

Tucker Kraft didn't just have a rough Week 3. He turned it into a referendum on the relationship between the Green Bay Packers and their own fanbase.

After the Packers were blown out 35-14 by the Atlanta Falcons at Lambeau Field on Thursday night, the SDSU product went on record calling the home crowd's booing "disappointing" — and pointedly suggested a comeback would have been "much easier with the 70,000 people behind us rather than opposing us." Fans pushed back hard. By the weekend, Kraft was back at the mic with a more measured message.

He acknowledged some regret about how his initial comments landed, but didn't fully retreat. The clarification was pointed: the Packers need to "put a better product on display." It's the kind of accountability statement that threads a needle — validating the fans' frustration while putting the onus back on the team. Whether Green Bay's locker room embraces that framing or resents it will be worth watching.

The blowout loss already carried real consequences beyond the scoreboard. Wide receiver Jayden Reed was placed on season-ending IR following the game, a development that reshuffles Green Bay's entire passing attack. Kraft, along with Christian Watson, now figures to absorb a larger share of Jordan Love's targets. Fantasy managers noticed immediately — and so will opposing defensive coordinators.

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Around the League: Other Jackrabbits in Action

Dallas Goedert missed another week for the Eagles, ruled out against the Rams with a knee injury. Philadelphia, already banged up with DeVonta Smith (hamstring), Zack Baun (concussion), and others out, leaned on a depleted roster in what figures to be a challenging stretch. Goedert's continued absence is a genuine problem for an Eagles offense that relies on him as a security blanket for Jalen Hurts.

Isaiah Davis suited up for the Jets in their 24-31 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday, with the former Jackrabbit RB operating in a crowded New York backfield. Davis has been identified as a potential threat to Braelon Allen's workload — whether the Jets give him the opportunity to prove it remains the storyline to track.

Elsewhere, Christian Rozeboom and the Buccaneers fell 16-23 to the Vikings, and Isaiah Stalbird's Saints dropped a 27-35 decision to the Las Vegas Raiders — two more losses for SDSU's NFL diaspora in a week that wasn't kind to Jackrabbit alumni across the board.

The common thread running through it all: Tucker Kraft is the one making noise. Love him or roll your eyes at him, the Packers' tight end is becoming one of the more interesting voices in Green Bay — and one of the more prominent Jackrabbits in the league. Whether he backs it up on the field in the weeks ahead is the only question that ultimately matters.

Two South Dakota State tight ends dominated NFL storylines this week — one for speaking out, one for getting hurt — and both are reshaping the conversations around their respective teams.

Tucker Kraft Pokes the Lambeau Bear

After Green Bay's 35-14 home beatdown at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, Packers tight end Tucker Kraft didn't stay quiet in the locker room. He called out the Lambeau Field crowd directly, saying the booing from Green Bay's own fans was "disappointing" and that it's "not going to help us win." He made his position plain: "It'd be much easier with the 70,000 people behind us rather than opposing us."

The reaction was swift and largely hostile. National media and fans pushed back hard, with outlets across the board — from FanSided to The Sporting News to Sports Illustrated — arguing that Kraft had aimed his frustration at the wrong target. The broader criticism: the Packers had just surrendered 35 points to an Atlanta team that had scored only 16 points all season entering the game. Fans weren't wrong to boo; the team was wrong to play that way.

Coach Matt LaFleur called the loss "humbling" and was candid about the performance. Kraft's stat line on the night — 4 catches for 26 yards — wasn't the problem, but his post-game comments became the headline. For an SDSU product who has developed into one of Green Bay's key offensive pieces, the blowback was a costly lesson in reading the room. On the season, he's added 2 receptions for 15 yards in Week 2's win over the Jets, giving him a modest but functional role in the offense. The controversy, however, overshadowed all of it.

Goedert Down, Ertz Called Home

In Philadelphia, the news is far more serious. Dallas Goedert exited the Eagles' Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans with a knee injury after hauling in just 1 catch for 4 yards, and the subsequent MRI confirmed what Eagles fans feared: a sprained MCL that will sideline the All-Pro tight end for several weeks.

The Eagles moved quickly. Philadelphia signed fellow SDSU alumnus Zach Ertz — yes, two Jackrabbits at tight end on the same roster — to the practice squad, with a clear path to active-roster promotion ahead of Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears. Ertz, now 35, figures to be an immediate contributor despite his age. He's also just 11 catches away from a significant Eagles franchise milestone, adding some narrative weight to what might otherwise look like a depth signing.

Head coach Nick Sirianni laid out a specific role for Ertz in Philly's scheme, and the reunion generated genuine buzz — including a raw, emotional on-air reaction from former Eagles center Jason Kelce when he learned of the move. The Bears, meanwhile, were reportedly eyeing ways to exploit the Eagles' offensive identity crisis, with both Goedert and Saquon Barkley dealing with injuries heading into the week.

For SDSU, it's a remarkable moment: one alumnus reshaping an NFC contender's offense by going down, another stepping in to fill the void. The Jackrabbit tight end pipeline — Goedert, Ertz, Kraft — is as active as it's ever been in the NFL. Whether that's all good news this week is another question entirely.

South Dakota State's NFL alumni had a Week 1 worth talking about — and two Jackrabbits in particular made sure of it.

Dallas Goedert: Still Underrated, Still Delivering

Philadelphia's opener against Washington could have gone sideways early. The Eagles offense sputtered through its first two possessions before Jalen Hurts found Dallas Goedert to get things moving — and Goedert never really stopped. The veteran tight end finished the 24-22 win with four receptions for 77 yards and two touchdowns, accounting for two of Hurts' three TD passes on the afternoon.

The performance wasn't just a good box score. According to Sports Illustrated, it put Goedert in striking distance of another Eagles franchise record — a remarkable footnote for a player whose career has been frequently interrupted by injury and whose contributions often go unacknowledged amid Philadelphia's offensive star power. Yahoo Sports captured the sentiment bluntly: "He's never talked about enough."

At this point, that's almost a brand. Goedert's consistency as a top-tier tight end, even while operating in the background of a loaded Eagles offense, is the story that keeps not getting told loudly enough. Week 1 made the argument again.

Tucker Kraft: $75M and a Message

Up in Green Bay, Tucker Kraft's week started with a contract and ended with a challenge. The Packers locked up their starting tight end on a four-year, $75 million extension — signed one day before the opener — and also named him a team captain. Then the Vikings came to town and handed Green Bay a second-half meltdown.

Kraft did his part: three catches for 65 yards in a new offensive role. But the Packers collapsed late, and Kraft wasn't interested in deflecting blame or crediting Minnesota. Per Heavy Sports, he refused to give the Vikings credit for the comeback and instead turned the loss into a direct challenge aimed inward — at himself and his teammates.

That kind of accountability, delivered from someone who just signed a $75M deal and is wearing a captain's patch, carries weight. Kraft is clearly positioning himself as more than a pass-catching option in Green Bay — he wants to be a leader who sets the tone. Week 1 gave him his first real platform to do it.

The Rest of the Jackrabbits

Beyond the two headliners, a handful of other SDSU alumni saw NFL action in Week 1. Isaiah Davis carried the ball for the Jets in a 23-10 win over Tennessee, while linebacker Isaiah Stalbird was on the field for New Orleans in a narrow 30-31 loss to Detroit. Neither generated notable counting stats in the research window, but both remain active contributors on their respective rosters.

SDSU has quietly built one of the more impressive NFL alumni footprints of any FCS program, with 16 active players across the league. Goedert and Kraft are the marquee names — and through one week, they've done nothing to relinquish that status.