Rob Gronkowski reveals how close he was to becoming a Raven instead of a Patriot
Rob Gronkowski has said that he was close to becoming a Baltimore Raven instead of a New England Patriot. On the Thursday’s episode of Dudes On Dudes podcast, he said that the Ravens planned to pick him at No. 25 in the 2010 NFL Draft. But the Broncos traded up with Baltimore and used that pick to take quarterback Tim Tebow.
That trade pushed the Ravens back to pick No. 43. Rob Gronkowski said that the Patriots found out that the Ravens still wanted him and quickly moved up one spot to No. 42 and picked him just before Baltimore could.
“I just got booted out of the first round. The Ravens have the 43rd pick now. Well, then the New England Patriots got a sniff of it, and they traded up one spot before the Baltimore Ravens, at number 42, where I got drafted,” Gronk shared.
“I also heard that if I didn't get drafted, Greg Olson was going to get traded that day for a draft pick to the New England Patriots.”
The Ravens ended up picking Sergio Kindle at No. 43. Kindle, though, struggled with injuries and didn’t make much impact before being released after three seasons. Baltimore later took tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson. Pitta became a key player during their 2012 Super Bowl run but was plagued by serious hip injuries that cut his career short.
Rob Gronkowski, though, went on to become one of the best tight ends in NFL history. He helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls and won another with the Buccaneers. He holds several NFL and team records, including 79 receiving touchdowns with New England.
In college, Gronk played for Arizona and missed his junior year due to back surgery. Nevertheless, the Patriots took a chance on him, and it paid off.
The Ravens had their shot, but one draft-day trade changed everything. Rob Gronkowski became a star in New England while Baltimore missed out on what could have been a major piece for Joe Flacco’s offense.
Rob Gronkowski and Lawrence Taylor push back as Abdul Carter eyes jersey No. 56
New York Giants rookie Abdul Carter showed interest in wearing the No. 56, a jersey retired in honor of Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor, who told Carter to “get another number” and make that one famous instead (via CBS Sports).
Rob Gronkowski also spoke about the situation, emphasizing that Taylor is one of the best defenders, but Carter still needs to prove himself.
“Was he serious, asking for LT’s number? Yeah, you were a high draft pick, but LT is an absolute legend," Gronkowski said.
"The best to do it, one of the best defenders of all time … like, you gotta prove yourself. That’s crazy just asking for LT’s number, and I’m glad that LT shut him down like that.”
The Giants drafted Carter third overall in 2025. He played three seasons at Penn State, recording 172 tackles, 23 sacks and five forced fumbles. Carter wore No. 11 in college, a number former Giants QB Phil Simms said that he’d be fine letting him wear.
As of now, Abdul Carter hasn't picked a jersey number, but his request for No. 56 has drawn clear pushback from multiple NFL legends.