When the Patriots met with Rob Gronkowski back in the spring of 2010, the idea of the Arizona product becoming an all-time great tight end probably never crossed Bill Belichick and company’s minds.
By all accounts, Gronk completely bombed his pre-draft interview with New England. From falling asleep in a waiting room to talking about his love for “SpongeBob Squarepants,” Gronkowski seemingly didn’t give the Patriots any reason to feel confident in drafting him. Nonetheless, New England used the 46th overall pick in 2010 on Gronk, who went on to have a remarkable nine-year tenure in Foxboro.
During a recent appearance on the “Trading Secrets” podcast, Gronkowski confirmed all the tales told about his infamous Patriots visit. And after partying himself to exhaustion before his pre-draft tour, Gronk admittedly wasn’t concerned about putting his best foot forward in New England.
“I’m visiting all of these teams, and I got to New England and I’m cashed,” Gronkowski told host Jason Tartick, as transcribed by Patriots Wire. “I’m like, ‘I don’t even care anymore. Whatever team takes me, whatever round I go in — whippy doo.'”
Gronkowski continued: “(Bill O’Brien) drew up a play, he came back and I didn’t know one single thing. My mind was shut off, and I basically said something like, ‘It doesn’t matter. Just throw me the football.’ Just like that. And they were just mind-blown.
“They were like, ‘This guy is out of hand.’ Then I go upstairs, pass right out — right on the floor. I’m so tired and pass right out on the floor while waiting for the next coach to talk to. Passed right out. So my visit was probably the worst visit of all time.”
We would not advise any 2023 draft prospects to take this approach with the Patriots’ contingency in the coming months. It ended up not hurting Gronk, but 6-foot-6, 265-pound athletic freakshows with incredible receiving and blocking abilities aren’t a dime a dozen.
