Inside the Patriots Draft Room: Finding the Final Pieces to Reclaim the Lombardi Trophy

Tight Ends

Is Rob Gronkowski’s act getting stale? It depends on who you ask, but Bill Belichick can’t be a fan of Gronk’s antics this offseason. From telling Danny Amendola to “Be FREE, be HAPPY” when Amendola signed with the Miami Dolphins, to his dirt bike press conference, Gronkowski has done everything but commit to being a member of the New England Patriots.

Will he force his way out of New England? If the Patriots covet quarterback Josh Rosen for example, including Gronkowski in a trade may put the Patriots in a position to select the UCLA signal caller without having to give up excessive draft capital.

Whether or not this happens, the Patriots still have a void to fill at tight end with the departure of Martellus Bennett. Troy Niklas was signed this offseason, but he’s not a lock to make the roster. Unfortunately for the Patriots, only three tight ends fit their mold and all three are likely off the board by the end of round two. That means Belichick would have to use one of the team’s two first-round picks on a tight end or the 43rd overall pick which was acquired from the San Francisco 49ers in the Jimmy Garoppolo trade.

Highly-valued skills:

hand size, 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, three-cone, short shuttle (64 graded)

1. Mike Gesicki (Penn State) 64.7%

Next: Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

2. Ian Thomas (Indiana) 52.9%

Next: Ian Thomas, TE, Indiana: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

3. Dallas Goedert (South Dakota State) 35.2%

Fell below the minimum threshold in one category, but still finished with a positive score:

None