3 ways in which Rob Gronkowski's height benefited him through his NFL playing career

Rob Gronkowski's height was perhaps what made him such a tough opponent to handle and made him into, arguably, the greatest tight end of all time. He seems to be done with the NFL now, but it was fun while it lasted.

Having such a stature made it almost impossible to play against him, and it is something Tom Brady used to his advantage both in New England and in Tampa. He measured 6'6" and weighed 265 pounds. While Rob Gronkowski's height did not make him the tallest player to play in the NFL, it did give him an advantage in the position he played.

Rob Gronkowski's height makes all the difference

#1 - Better at Receiving

Even while playing as a tight end, he could play more as a wide receiver because of his height. His height ensured that he could always beat other defensive players to the ball because he had a larger reach. He was effectively a receiver playing tight end because of his build.

#2 - Nightmare for defensive backs and linebackers

Due to Rob Gronkowski's height and frame, he was a nightmare for defensive backs and linebackers to cover. Also, because of the aforementioned skills at receiving, neither defensive backs nor linebackers could cover him in space. That meant that any ball thrown his way had a higher chance of sticking.

#3 - Versatility to the fore

Talking about Rob Gronkowski's height isn't complete without mentioning his strength. He was strong enough to play tight end at 265 pounds. At 6'6", he was an ideal wide receiver. Effectively, he was a wide receiver playing tight end and a tight end playing wide receiver.

Such versatility made him one of the most devastating players on offense. Given his impressive build, he was also used on defense from time to time by the New England Patriots coaching staff. Infamously, he was positioned as the safety, possibly because of his height, to stop a Miami Dolphins Hail Mary in the "Miami Miracle".

“We all had to look in the mirror… Who are we going to be and what are we going to be?”

The @McCourtyTwins take us through the mentality coming off two tough losses. 👇

📺: #AmericasGame on NFL Network https://t.co/uHTNPDarxB

But all this talk about Rob Gronkowski's height and build cannot be complete without mentioning his game intelligence. His physical attributes definitely gave him an advantage but he had the ability to ensure to use them in the best way possible. Suffice it to say, as he hangs up his cleats with four Super Bowl rings, he will have few regrets about his time on the field.