Rob Gronkowski is often named among the elite tight ends ever to play the game. Some will even argue that he’s the greatest to ever play the position. But how does he view his career now, and where does he place himself among the best at the position today?
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After all, the tight end position has seen some of the league’s most legendary talents since the turn of the century, with players like Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, and Jason Witten. Another player who’s climbed the TE ladder quickly over the past decade has been Travis Kelce.
That’s why, when Dan Patrick got to sit down with Gronkowski on his show, he had to ask the former player how he rates himself in comparison to Kelce.
“If somebody says, ‘Kelce is better than you.’ Would you argue back that you’re better than Kelce?” Patrick asked on NBC Sports.
According to some sites, Kelce is rated ahead of Gronkowski as an all-time tight end. It makes sense, given that Travis is considered the best at the position in his generation, playing it for over a decade with great consistency. Meanwhile, Gronk had a shorter career because of the physical way he played.
Gronk made it a point to highlight the differences between him and his counterpart.
“Well, in many ways, Travis Kelce is better than myself,” he admitted. “In many ways, I would say I’m better than Travis Kelce. There’s so many variables and intangibles that go into it because we’re kind of different players, but we play the same position.”
The tight end position is indeed quite complex to the average fan. Some might think their only job is to be the safety valve for the quarterback in case the first or second wide receivers aren’t open. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Tight ends are essential when it comes to blocking, especially in the run. That’s ultimately where Gronkowski excelled. Furthermore, when paired with his awesome pass-catching ability, it made it hard for teams to guess how he was going to be used from play to play.
“It’s all about what type of offense you’re in, how you’re being used. And if we played together, we’d be the ultimate combo. But if I’m in a package where it’s just old school offense… then I would take myself,” Gronkowski noted, adding,
“But this day and era, with the offense Travis Kelce is in, I feel like he fits way better in his offense. I don’t feel like I’d be able to contribute the way that he does.”
It was a solid argument that made a ton of sense. Kelce is still utilized as a blocker in the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive scheme. But for the most part, he’s incorporated in the passing attack because he can get open and has breakaway ability with the ball in his hands. Gronkowski could also do this, yet was utilized even more as a blocker because of his size and strength.
So, there you have it. Gronkowski thinks that he’s the better blocker, but believes that Kelce is the better pass catcher. It’s a tight end combination that would be lethal together and could cover all of the bases for positional responsibilities.
And we briefly got to see something of that nature when Aaron Hernandez played with Gronkowski from 2010-13. The Patriots became incredibly hard to stop, and fans still remember that legendary offense to this day.
