StaTuesday: Graham puts previous Packers tight ends to shame
New Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham is really into aviation. His Twitter profile makes no mention of football -- listing himself as a "Private Pilot" -- while his Instagram account is filled with pictures of planes.
The Packers are hoping Graham will soar to new heights as a Green Bay tight end.
While the Packers have had several notable tight ends in franchise history, none has the resume of Graham, a four-time Pro Bowl selection who is fourth all-time in touchdowns and eighth in receptions at the position.
Only 10 times has a Green Bay tight end recorded 50+ catches in a season -- and three of the top four in Packers history have been with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
| PLAYER | SEASON | CATCHES |
| Jermichael Finley | 2012 | 61 |
| Richard Rodgers | 2015 | 58 |
| Paul Coffman | 1979 | 56 |
| Jermichael Finley | 2011 | 55 |
| Paul Coffman | 1981 | 55 |
| Jermichael Finley | 2009 | 55 |
| Jackie Harris | 1992 | 55 |
| Paul Coffman | 1983 | 54 |
| Mark Chmura | 1995 | 54 |
| Bubba Franks | 2002 | 54 |
Half of the teams in the NFL have had a 1,000-yard receiver at tight end. The Packers have just one who totaled over 800 yards -- and that was 35 years ago.
In addition, 19 times has a Green Bay tight end amassed over 500 yards receiving in a season (by nine different players).
| PLAYER | SEASON | YARDS |
| Paul Coffman | 1983 | 814 |
| Jermichael Finley | 2011 | 767 |
| Paul Coffman | 1979 | 711 |
| Paul Coffman | 1981 | 687 |
| Mark Chmura | 1995 | 679 |
| Jermichael Finley | 2009 | 676 |
| Jermichael Finley | 2012 | 667 |
| Paul Coffman | 1985 | 666 |
| Jackie Harris | 1993 | 604 |
| Jackie Harris | 1992 | 595 |
| Donald Lee | 2007 | 575 |
| Paul Coffman | 1984 | 562 |
| Ron Kramer | 1961 | 559 |
| Ron Kramer | 1962 | 555 |
| Mark Chmura | 1998 | 554 |
| Ron Kramer | 1964 | 551 |
| Ron Kramer | 1963 | 537 |
| Richard Rodgers | 2015 | 510 |
| Keith Jackson | 1996 | 505 |
Meanwhile, Graham has at least 57 receptions in six of his eight seasons and has topped 500 receiving yards in every season of his career except his rookie year and reached 800 in five, including two seasons over 1,000.
Only twice in Packers history has a tight end reached double-digits in touchdowns: Paul Coffman with 11 in 1983 and Keith Jackson's 10 in 1996.
Graham has four such seasons, including in 2017 when he recorded 10 in what was considered a down year for him.
| SEASON | CATCHES | YARDS | TD |
| 2010 | 31 | 356 | 5 |
| 2011 | 99 | 1310 | 11 |
| 2012 | 85 | 982 | 9 |
| 2013 | 86 | 1215 | 16 |
| 2014 | 85 | 889 | 10 |
| 2015 | 48 | 605 | 2 |
| 2016 | 65 | 923 | 6 |
| 2017 | 57 | 520 | 10 |
The Packers were hopeful Martellus Bennett was going to solve some of their pass-catching issues at tight end last season. This year, they really might have found an answer to that problem and that equation is Rodgers + Graham.
