Rob Gronkowski could have been a first-round pick in the 2010 NFL draft … if not for the Denver Broncos.
That’s according to Gronk himself.
During a recent episode of the Dudes on Dudes podcast featuring Gronkowki and Julian Edelman, Gronk revealed how Josh McDaniels foiled his chances of being picked by the Baltimore Ravens in 2010.
“The Baltimore Ravens were gonna pick me at — I think it was the 25th pick that they had in the draft, but then Denver and Josh McDaniels came scooping in and traded with the Baltimore Ravens,” Gronkowski said. “The Denver Broncos took Tim Tebow. I just got booted out of the first round.”
The Ravens came back on the clock again in the second round at pick No. 43, and the New England Patriots jumped ahead of them in a trade to secure Gronkowski.
It worked out for Gronkowski in the end as he went on to win three Super Bowls with the Patriots before retiring and then coming out of retirement to win a fourth Super Bowl with Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tebow, meanwhile, spent two years in Denver before being replaced by Peyton Manning, who went on to help the Broncos reach two Super Bowls. Manning retired after winning Super Bowl 50 in 2015.
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