It’s safe to say Rob Gronkowski’s career in New England played out pretty well.
But if the future Hall of Famer had it his way entering the 2010 NFL Draft, he would have ended up elsewhere.
Gronkowski, who played two seasons of collegiate ball at Arizona, was hoping to remain in the Grand Canyon State and land with the Cardinals.
“I loved being in the state of Arizona … I was praying that they would take me because I wanted to go there,” Gronkowski said on 98.7 FM Arizona Sports Station’s “Doug & Wolf,” as transcribed by ArizonaSports.com. “I felt like they needed a tight end and they brought me in for a little visit.”
But upon meeting with the Cards, Gronkowski could tell there wasn’t a match.
“I took a visit there and everything, I could tell they had no interest in me,” Gronkowski said. “I could tell, the people that brought me in, they were just bringing me in to bring me in.”
Arizona selected defensive tackle Dan Williams with its first-round pick — 26th overall — in 2010. Williams played five seasons for the Cardinals, racking up 109 total tackles with two sacks over 70 career games in the desert. He played the final two seasons of his seven-year NFL career with the Oakland Raiders.
The Patriots nabbed Devin McCourty one pick later, followed by Gronkowski at 42nd overall. The two were instrumental in three Super Bowl-winning seasons in New England, and Gronkowski likely is ticketed for Canton upon his first year of Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility.
So yeah, the Cards probably wish they could have that one back.
