Is the NFL ready for another Gronkowski? K-State’s Glenn thinks so
MOBILE, Ala. — How much Gronkowski can one league take?
We say: “Never enough.”
The NFL is getting a first-hand look at the latest of the Gronk brothers to come down the pike in Kansas State’s Glenn Gronkowski, who is auditioning at the Senior Bowl as a hybrid of sorts — fullback, H-back, undersized tight end, special-teams demon, you name it.
“I can do it all, and I want to do it all,” Glenn said. “Put me on special teams. Ask me to block. Hand off. Catching passes. That’s what I am trying to do: show all the things I can do here.”
He’s been a popular man this week among fans (one held up a “#Gronknation” sign; another had a “We love you, Little Gronk!) and media, so much so that he even jokes with me that he can guess what I am going to ask him next. (For the record, he was close on his first guess.)
And, naturally, a certain older brother — New England Patriots All-Pro tight end Rob — has been a frequent topic of discussion.
“Yeah, I’ve been asked a few times about him,” Glenn told Shutdown Corner, smiling.
So on a scale of 1 to GRONK, just how Gronky is he exactly?
Well, for one he did our interview, and several others on Wednesday, with his helmet on, so there’s that — very Ricky Williams-esque. And he sounded like Rob a bit in his voice, but the youngest brother also made it clear he wants to blaze his own trail.
“My brother has had a great careers, and my other brothers have played, too,” Glenn said. “I want all that, but I want to do it my way.”
Which is?
“Work hard, never stop, do anything,” Glenn said, making those six words sound like only one the way it came out of his mouth. “I’m intense. I play hard, and I love to show that.”
So what happens if he’s drafted by the Patriots? Tough to blaze your own trail in the place where Rob has left a trail of Zubaz, Red Bull and, with his incredible play, scorched earth on enemy turf?
“Well, I met with them down here,” Glenn said of the Patriots. “I’d love to go there. That would be three of us who have [worn the uniform].”
Yes, Dan Gronkowski also had a cup of coffee with the Patriots, lest we forget, in a brief NFL career. But Glenn might have a chance to stick longer, even if he’s nowhere in the same category athletically or size-wise as his older, more famous brother (he’s 6-foot-2, 238 pounds to Rob’s 6-5, 265). Still, he can do a little of everything, has stood out with his blocking early at the Senior Bowl and was impressive at times as a receiver for the Wildcats, averaging 24.6 yards per catch in his college career, albeit on only 15 career receptions.
And though he seems like a watered-down version of his outrageous older brother, you might still want to hide your women and children. Another Gronk is coming.
