The similarities between Rob Gronkowski and his younger brother Glenn end with their surname, but that doesn't mean the youngest Gronkowski brother won't become an impactful NFL player.
Glenn Gronkowski signs with Bills as UDFA
The similarities between Rob Gronkowski and his youngest brother are difficult to find.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills signed Gronkowski as an undrafted free agent after every team passed on him in the NFL Draft, the player announced on Twitter. This makes him the fourth member of the family to sign on with an NFL team. Both Dan and Chris Gronkowski played in the league for three years before hanging it up.
The start of Gronkowski’s college career was delayed, as Kansas State grayshirted him during his freshman season and redshirted him as a sophomore. Gronkowski, who weighed just 200 pounds coming out of high school, added roughly 30 pounds of muscle during his two years off that preceded his move to fullback. Once Gronkowski finally did reach the field, he was awarded All-Big 12 honors.
At first glance, Gronkowski’s numbers are less than impressive. He only carried the ball 16 times in three seasons and never reeled in more than three catches in a single game. But when Gronkowski did get the ball in his hands, he showed a proclivity to find open space and make big plays. He averaged 24.6 yards on 15 career receptions, which is the highest average in Kansas State history among players with at least 15 catches.
At 6'2", 239 pounds, Gronkowski is four inches shorter and 26 pounds lighter than his superstar older brother, Rob. But he still tried his hand at tight end at the Senior Bowl, recognizing that versatility may be his best chance at making it in the NFL.
As different as Glenn and Rob are on the field, they are even more opposite off it. Glenn graduated Kansas State with a 3.8 GPA and also worked as a bartender through college. “Goose is sort of quiet, not like Rob, who is out there in front of everybody,” Gordy Gronkowski, the patriarch of the family, told Bleacher Report’s Don Pompei recently. “He’s more laid-back. He was the easiest of the boys. He does the right things all the time. Never gave me any trouble. Never did anything bad. Never got called in to school on him. Rob was that guy who stirred things up.”
That's not to say there aren't any similarities between Glenn and Rob, however. Glenn is prone to some of the verbal missteps that plague Rob — "Yo Soy Fiesta," anyone? — such as when he couldn't pronounce the name of Ravens fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who he's often compared to, in a January interview with the Buffalo News.
“Kyle Zu ... Baltimore Ravens fullback,” Gronkowski said. “J or Z. Something crazy. Zu-check or something. A lot of people have been comparing me to him. I heard that’s not a bad thing, that’s what they’re saying.”
But on the whole, Glenn seems more comfortable staying out of the spotlight than being in it. While Rob's Party Cruise was setting sail in February, for example, he was off training for the Combine — where he posted a 4.71-second 40-yard dash, 33-inch vertical, 10' broad jump and 7.10-second time in the 3-cone drill. A number of teams, including the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos, have met with Gronkowski over the last couple of months.
As an undrafted free agent, Gronkowski will likely be counted on to primarily be a blocker during the early portion of his career. He often lined up as a blocking back at Kansas State and was placed on the line as an extra offensive lineman at times as well.
The truth is, Gronkowski’s last name may open up some NFL doors that would possibly be closed to him otherwise. But as Chris’ and Dan’s unremarkable and brief careers showed, being a part of football royalty only gets you so far. Given Gronkowski’s insistence on reinventing himself as a hybrid fullback/tight end, it appears he knows that. Now it’s time to see if he can live up to his name.
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