Bend High School alum and former Oregon State Beavers tight end Luke Musgrave is expected to start Sunday when his Green Bay Packers take on the Chicago Bears.
Musgrave, a rookie, is listed as the No. 1 tight-end on the Packers depth chart heading into Week 1 of the NFL season.
“I’m really excited,” Musgrave told Packers.com. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been this excited for football.”
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Musgrave would be the fourth rookie tight end to start a season opener for the Packers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the team said.
Green Bay chose Musgrave with the 42nd overall selection in the NFL Draft, a pick they acquired in the trade that sent four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets.
The Packers are taking a chance on the upside of Musgrave, who was slowed by injuries during his college career. Musgrave had just 47 catches for 633 yards and two touchdowns in his college career, but he showed enough promise in limited action to get regarded as a likely second-day draft pick.
He had 11 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown in Oregon State’s first two games last season before a knee injury knocked him out for the rest of the year.
Musgrave is the nephew of former NFL quarterback Bill Musgrave.
