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Former San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis highlighted Rob Gronkowski as his GOAT tight end while speaking with ESPN's Kevin Clark on his This Is Football podcast.
“The best tight end of all time? I'm probably going to have to say, I'll have to give that to Rob Gronkowski.”
Clark was wowed by the answer and asked for more clarification about what specifically about Gronkowski made him the best.
“He had high character. He was the ultimate pro, came in every day, he worked, and he was very professional. His enthusiasm towards the game, everything. Not just that, but his physical attributes as well. He’s big, fast, strong, can run, can catch the ball. He’s a nightmare when it comes to opposing teams.”
When asked what's changed about the position over the past decade, Davis also had an interesting response.
“I feel like a lot of the plays are designed to get tight ends in open space. Get the ball, turn up field and make plays. … It's just space.”
Davis finished his 14-year career with one Super Bowl title, no first-team All-Pro seasons and two Pro Bowls with 583 receptions for 7,562 yards and 63 touchdowns. Gronkowski played for 11 seasons between the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with four Super Bowl titles, four first-team All-Pro seasons, and five Pro Bowls with 621 receptions for 9,286 yards and 92 touchdowns.
Who is the NFL's GOAT tight end?
Many players deserve to be in the conversation, including Gronkowski. Travis Kelce is certainly in the mix, along with Antonio Gates, Shannon Sharpe, Dave Casper, Jason Witten, Kellen Winslow, Ozzie Newsome, Jackie Smith, John Mackey and more. Ultimately, the conversation of the NFL GOAT tight end comes down to Tony Gonzalez.
In 17 seasons, Gonzalez redefined the position with 1,325 receptions, 15,127 receiving yards and 111 touchdowns. While he didn't win any titles, he had six first-team All-Pro seasons and 14 trips to the Pro Bowl. Every stat listed here is the NFL record for the tight end position, except for TDs, which Gates holds (116). Kelce, with all his numbers still barely comes close to breaking many of Gonzalez's records while with the Chiefs.
Gonzalez was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2019, his first year of eligibility. He was also named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team and the 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
One could argue that if Gronkowski had played more by staying healthy, he could have also played for more seasons, giving him the numbers to better compare to Gonzalez. However, that's also what made Gronk so special. His physical, smashmouth style of play put his body on the line in every contest and with every catch.
