Rob Gronkowski Says Ravens Planned to Draft Him Until Broncos Traded Up for Tim Tebow

Rob Gronkowski revealed an interesting story about his draft night and shared a hypothetical that could have changed NFL history.

He said on the DudesOnDudes podcast that the Baltimore Ravens were planning to take him in the first round in 2010, but the Denver Broncos trading up to select quarterback Tim Tebow shook things up and ultimately led to Gronkowski falling to the New England Patriots in the second round.

"The Baltimore Ravens were going to pick me, I think it was the 25th pick that they had in the draft," he said. "But then Denver and Josh McDaniels came scooping in and traded with the Baltimore Ravens. The Denver Broncos took Tim Tebow. I just got booted out of the first round. The Ravens had the 43rd pick now. Well, then the New England Patriots got a sniff of it, and they traded one spot before the Baltimore Ravens at No. 42, where I got drafted. I also heard through a grapevine that if I didn't get drafted to the New England Patriots, Greg Olsen was going to get traded that day for a draft pick to the New England Patriots, because the Patriots were looking for a tight end."

It's hard to imagine what the last decade or so would have looked like if Gronkowski ended up with the Ravens rather than the Patriots. Would he have won four Super Bowl rings and submitted himself as one of the best tight ends of all time? Or would he have struggled without Tom Brady throwing to him?

Ultimately, Gronkowski landed with New England, and the rest is history. He and Brady became one of the best duos in NFL history and helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls before teaming up again with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for another ring.