Meet Rob Gronkowski

[kingwilly]

've watched Gronkowski's highlights and they are good. but no better than Aaron Hernandez's or Gresham's. In this offense, I'd rather have Dickerson or Hernandez.

The guy has 2 years of college ball, a condition called spinal stenosis that only gets worse, and some folks here think he is an r1-r2 pick?

Child please. I think he could be a decent NFL TE in the mold of a Heath Miller or Todd Heap, however he is attached to huge risks. I just don't see the risks matching the upside.

What annoys me here is now a succession of poor TE choices the Bengals have made. Utecht had shown a pattern of concussions, yet they still went and got him. They could not have not known how dense Chase is before they drfated him, yet there he was, struggling to understand how to run plays.

No thanks to taking the TE with the spine condition and little experience, on the heels of the last two poor TE choices this team has made.

Pitta, Hernandez, Graham all have serious upside and far less risk.

[NJ29]

Regardless of who it is, I'm not a fan of taking a tight end high in the draft period. Think of how productive our tight end position would have been last year if Coats would have just caught the TD passes that were thrown to him, and he was awful. I think you could draft a tight end in the fifth round or so and it would still be an immediate upgrade. In terms of value, I just don't think it makes a lot of sense to address it early.

[Kazkal]

Gronkowski is Schoebel v2. There, I said it.

The guy has 2 years of college ball, a condition called spinal stenosis that only gets worse, and some folks here think he is an r1-r2 pick?

Well I liked Schoebel but um no? Scho could never block Gronk Can.

Reports surfaced late Wednesday evening that former Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski is suffering from spinal stenosis, a potentially career-threatening condition.

Gronkowski denied reports in a phone interview with the Arizona Daily Wildcat.

“That’s news to me,” Gronkowski said. “I haven’t heard that.”

So Wheres the Official word he has it willy? or is it just a rumor atm?

[kingwilly]

Gronkowski is Schoebel v2. There, I said it.

The guy has 2 years of college ball, a condition called spinal stenosis that only gets worse, and some folks here think he is an r1-r2 pick?

Well I liked Schoebel but um no? Scho could never block Gronk Can.

Reports surfaced late Wednesday evening that former Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski is suffering from spinal stenosis, a potentially career-threatening condition.

Gronkowski denied reports in a phone interview with the Arizona Daily Wildcat.

?That?s news to me,? Gronkowski said. ?I haven?t heard that.?

So Wheres the Official word he has it willy? or is it just a rumor atm?

Mike Mayock reported it, on NFL network, for what that is worth, but what it points to is significant red flag on the guy. Do you want to roll the dice with an early pick like that?

Not me.

Just too much downside for my taste, after being snakebitten with Utecht and Coffman, it seems like a very poor move.

[Kazkal]

Gronkowski is Schoebel v2. There, I said it.

The guy has 2 years of college ball, a condition called spinal stenosis that only gets worse, and some folks here think he is an r1-r2 pick?

Well I liked Schoebel but um no? Scho could never block Gronk Can.

Reports surfaced late Wednesday evening that former Arizona tight end Rob Gronkowski is suffering from spinal stenosis, a potentially career-threatening condition.

Gronkowski denied reports in a phone interview with the Arizona Daily Wildcat.

?That?s news to me,? Gronkowski said. ?I haven?t heard that.?

So Wheres the Official word he has it willy? or is it just a rumor atm?

Mike Mayock reported it, on NFL network, for what that is worth, but what it points to is significant red flag on the guy. Do you want to roll the dice with an early pick like that?

Not me.

Just too much downside for my taste, after being snakebitten with Utecht and Coffman, it seems like a very poor move.

Well not really for 1st round Tight End anyways unless it's BPA,But I was just wondering if it was true because ya that would scare me off...But at same time should be known if he really did have it then again probably would wanna hide it since very well could seal his fate.

[ArmyBengal]

If he has spinal stenosis, the answer is no. Not in the 1st, 2nd, or at all.

That would be a shame, because I also agree with him being the most complete TE in the draft.

[Wraith]

Duplicate Post see below.

[Wraith]

No to a TE in the first at all.

One of the good TEs will fall to us in the second or maybe even the first third. I like Gresham the best but he has the knee injury problems, Gronkowski is not a playmaker though is maybe a more solid all around choice but he has to be cleared of the spinal condition by our medical staff or he gets taken off the board all together, Hernandez is short but a great receiver, Graham has all the measurables but not the performance on the field, Pitta might have the biggest upside, Dickson and McCoy are also good prospects. No slam dunks in this group and no need to grab one super early. I am betting that none get taken in the first and only 2 or 3 go in the second which means that we could reasonably grab Graham or Hernandez with our pick in the third. Also keep in mind that the Coffman experiment is not over, he was injured and rookie last year, this year will be a big year for him, he was the most prolific pass catching TE in Major college history and he deserves a better shot than throwing him on the garbage heap after his rookie year.

How about this guy?

Rare size potential for the position. Athletic enough to line up in a variety of positions, including split out wide, in motion or along the line of scrimmage. Good initial quickness off the snap. Has the lateral agility to avoid the jam at the line and get a clean release into his route. Uses his hands well in this area to break free from defenders when initially challenged. Good lateral quickness and body control to gain separation from defenders. Good balance and body control to make the acrobatic reception with defenders draped over him. Can make the tough catch in traffic and looks to get upfield to gain extra yardage. Reliable hands. Generally looks the ball into his hands to make the secure reception, but will trap the ball against his body when he anticipates a big hit. More physical as a blocker than you'd expect for a tight end split wide as often as he is. Provides a good initial jolt to the defender when blocking and gives good effort to sustain his blocks. Emerged as a standout as a true freshman. Good bloodlines....

This is the report on Coffman last year not worried a bit if they decide not to take a TE. It just means that they have decided to go with Coffman and Kelly.

[derekshank]

You seem to know USC better than anyone on here, Hair...

I doubt it. I'm probably more informed about their program than someone who doesn't live in the area, but I don't call myself a Trojan fan and I don't make a habit of watching all of their games. In fact, the only reason I find myself pimping so many of their players is due to the quality of the program and the staggering number of top players going to the NFL of late. But frankly, even that's changed a little of late.

...so I'm wondering if you have any specific thoughts on McCoy.

Specifically, I think he's less polished than most seem to, and as a result I think he'll take some time before producing. But he's interesting because he does everything at an acceptable if unspectacular level.

Obviously to be taken with a grain of salt, because PFT makes its money being a group of rumor whores, not draft experts...

...but in the most recent TE draft rankings, Evan Silva says this about McCoy:

McCoy scored just three career touchdowns at USC, but learned to block in Pete Carroll's pro-style system and averaged 20.8 yards per catch as a senior.

And he has the Bengals drafting him in the 2nd round.

[BengalPimp]

I like Gresham the best but he has the knee injury problems

It was torn Cartilage, which they stitched together. NO LIGAMENT DAMAGE. Not that serious of an injury, certainly not like back surgery, or even developing spinal stenosis.

Gresham is a BEAST !

Gronkowski played 2 years, and only had 1 decent season before missing all of last year....How many times do I have to say that? Tell me again how everybody came to the "more complete TE" assumption when he hasn't played in a year, and has only 2 seasons of college Football? I'm just trying to understand????????

[ArmyBengal]

This from ESPN:

Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski (6-6, 258) -- Gronkowski ran the 40-yard dash in the high 4.6-second range and posted a vertical jump of 33.4 inches at his pro day over the weekend. He did drop a couple of passes but also showed he can snatch the ball out of the air with his massive (10.6 inches) hands and showed he has the athletic ability to develop into a fluid route runner.

Gronkowski now looks to be in a dead heat with Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham -- who caught the ball well and cut sharply when running routes during Bradford's workout -- for the top spot among tight ends. Both are underclassmen who face durability questions after each missed the entire 2009 season, but based on their athleticism we expect one to come off the board in the first round and the other to last only a short time in the second round.

I still haven't been able to find anything about the spinal stenosis with Gronkowski. Anyone able to find anything ??

[kingwilly]

This from ESPN:

Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski (6-6, 258) -- Gronkowski ran the 40-yard dash in the high 4.6-second range and posted a vertical jump of 33.4 inches at his pro day over the weekend. He did drop a couple of passes but also showed he can snatch the ball out of the air with his massive (10.6 inches) hands and showed he has the athletic ability to develop into a fluid route runner.

Gronkowski now looks to be in a dead heat with Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham -- who caught the ball well and cut sharply when running routes during Bradford's workout -- for the top spot among tight ends. Both are underclassmen who face durability questions after each missed the entire 2009 season, but based on their athleticism we expect one to come off the board in the first round and the other to last only a short time in the second round.

I still haven't been able to find anything about the spinal stenosis with Gronkowski. Anyone able to find anything ??

Mike Mayock originally reported it on NFL network. I doubt it would have gotten that far with no basis or fact-checking: http://azstarnet.com/sports/football/college/wildcats/article_67f4c381-2391-57c5-b5ab-880aaca04567.html

Gronkowski denies the condition: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/36053791/ns/sports-player_news/

Anonymous NFL scout confirms back is not 100%: http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/13682485/20624255

I agree the guy is a good prospect. I really never felt he was a r1 selection, and a generally reliable guy like Mayock mentioning this condition pushes him off my board.

[ArmyBengal]

As I stated earlier, if he indeed has the condition, he's off the board completely.

[HairOnFire]

Gronkowski now looks to be in a dead heat with Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham...[/b

I'd call it a dead heat to see which one was ranked as the 45th BPA.

No ninja.