The Top 100 highlights
My eighth selection for the Top 100 highlight series from the 30-21 group is
Rob Gronkowski
Is Rob Gronkowski the most skilled Tight End in the NFL? If you didn’t answer yes, then find another sport to follow. You don’t really know football. In fact Rob Gronkowski might be the most dominant Tight End to ever play the game. If you take away the two seasons that he played eight games or less. Gronkowski has scored double digit touchdowns in every season. At his current average of 9.7 touchdowns per season. Gronkowski is on pace to break the total number of touchdowns by a Tight End in the NFL in the next five years. He would be 31 by that time. Keep in mind that Tony Gonzalez set the current record at the ripe old age of 37. If Gronkowski plays football until he turns 37. He will probably set a touchdown record that might never be beaten. Now I’m sure that many of you are factoring Brady’s affect on his production. The truth is that Gronkowski actually makes Tom Brady better, as opposed to the other way around. When you compare the Patriots record with or without Gronkowski in the lineup. The Patriots with Gronkowski win an average of two more games per season. Brady’s passer rating is in the low 80s without Gronkowski. With Gronkowski in the lineup Brady’s passer rating shoots up by 20 points to over 100. That’s how much of an effect Gronkowski has on a Defence.
Hopefully all of the doubters, and haters have fallen in line by now. Gronkowski is the greatest Tight End in football. Now should you draft him? Let me ask you a quick question first. Imagine that you are at the Race Track. The same five horses are going to run the same five consecutive races. You have to put all of your money on one horse for all five races. Each horse has a particular advantage. I’ll go over each horse with you.
Horse 1 is fast, has great stamina, and is in great shape.
Horse 2 is the fastest horse in the field, is extremely powerful, but has weak knees.
Horse 3 is a young Colt, is quick and lean, but lacks a final burst of speed.
Horse 4 is an untamed mustang with incredible bursts of speed, but occasionally loses stride, and fails to finish.
Horse 5 is strong, in perfect health, has middle of the pack speed, but has won when faster horses have faltered.
Which horse do you place your money on? If you selected Horse 2 or 4 then Rob Gronkowski is for you. Even though he is the top Tight End in the NFL. Drafting Gronkowski means accepting a fair amount of risk. Gronkowski has had something like ten surgeries. He is an obvious injury risk every time he takes the field. Having Ron Gronkowski on your roster means you spent a first, second or third round pick on him. At that price it makes watching him take a hit on Sunday difficult. I can’t go through an entire season just praying that he doesn’t get injured again. If you draft him and he plays at least fourteen games. You will have a significant position advantage against your entire league. It’s just not a gamble I’m willing to make in the first three rounds. If I’m on the clock late in the third Round and Gronkowski is still on the board. Well at that point the gamble is worth it. Let Gronkowski slide that far, and I’ll make you pay for it. Do I expect Gronkowski to play sixteen games this season? Honestly I don’t. I think he will play enough to help take someone’s team to the playoffs. Winning the league because of Gronkowski is highly unlikely though. If you draft Gronkowski this year. Pay very close attention to his injury status each week. Pay close attention to how many snaps he gets each game. The Patriots might start him even if he’s hurt to confuse Defences. The last thing you should do, and this is a must. Draft a second Tight End in the late rounds with some upside as a backup. Someone like Tyler Eifert, or Charles Clay should be available. Just in case Gronkowski gets seriously injured again.
