There aren’t many doubters of Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce’s status as the two best tight ends in the history of the NFL. Whatever the order you put them in your list, it would take a lot of courage to place any other player from the position between them.
While neither Kelce nor Gronkowski were first-round picks, there were already glimpses of the stars they were set to become before their respective drafts. Gronkowski was a second-round pick in 2010 while Kelce was a third-round pick three years later.
And they both crushed the NFL combine.
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Rob Gronkowski was coming off a major back injury in Arizona that almost kept him out of the NFL. He had a million-dollar security deal that would be triggered if he gave up on his professional career. But he decided that, even if things were looking bleak back then, he would give the league a shot.
Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce’s stats at NFL Combine
He was later drafted by the New England Patriots early in the second round. He posted a 4.68 40-yard dash and 23 reps on the bench press, missing out on other exercises. He put up the same 4.68 during his Pro Day in Arizona.
Travis Kelce’s 40-yard dash was slightly better, with a 4.61 on his Pro Day after a 4.63 during the 2013 scouting combine. He also had a 7.09 3-cone shuttle.
Combining their strengths with these good numbers for tight ends put them at the top of the position. Of course, there were concerns about both – especially with Gronk as he had many durability concerns during his college career – but their talents were never a question. It was only about the risks involved in taking them.
A decade later, they are going down as the greatest tight ends of all time. There’s absolutely no doubt that they are going to be Hall of Famers at the first opportunity they have.
Fans will always discuss which one is better, but they keep a huge amount of respect for the other. We were just privileged to see Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce play at their primes.
