Recently, ESPN put together a ranking of the top 100 players in the NFL. Polling handfuls of NFL Insiders (analysts, reporters, coaches, scouts, front office executives, etc.), each voter was asked to rank the players on a scale of 1-100. The scores were then averaged together to discover where that player ranked in the hierarchy of the NFL's elite.
Want to know where New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski ended up?
The veteran TE received a lot of love from voters, finishing as the No. 5 overall player in the league with an average score of 94.51.
"Gronk's 54 TD catches since 2010 - easily the most among tight ends - is even more impressive when you consider he has dealt with some form of injury in each of the last three seasons, and that 2013 season, when he played only seven games, is the only season he hasn't been both an All Pro and a Pro Bowler. And with Gronk, it's not just the parties and the stats, 'It's that he competes every play,' said an AFC evaluator. It's also possible he has surpassed the next guy on this list as the most difficult pass-catching matchup in the NFL. If healthy, 'he's going to move into the best ever discussion at his position,' said one voter.
"Gronkowski has accounted for 32 percent of the Patriots' receiving touchdowns since 2010 despite missing 15 games over that span."
Overall, Gronkowski finished 2014 with 82 receptions for 1,124 yards and 12 touchdowns. He added 16 receptions for 204 yards and three scores in the post-season. One could make the argument that Gronk is the toughest mismatch in the NFL, especially in the redzone.
If healthy, he remains Tom Brady's top weapon and one of the most dangerous pass-catchers in the entire NFL.
