Rob Gronkowski Reveals How Close He Was to Being Drafted by Ravens
Rob Gronkowski spent his entire career catching passes from Tom Brady, forming a tandem that won four Super Bowls. The first three of those championships came with the New England Patriots, who selected the four-time All-Pro tight end and likely first-ballot Hall of Famer in the second round of the 2010 draft.
However, had it not been for Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, Gronkowski apparently would have been a Raven.
Gronkowski made the revelation on the "Dudes on Dudes" podcast he hosts with former Patriots teammate Julian Edelman.
"The Baltimore Ravens were going to pick me, I think it was the 25th pick that they had in the draft," Gronkowski said. "But then Denver and [Head Coach] 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 up one spot before the Baltimore Ravens at No. 42, where I got drafted."
The Ravens ended up taking defensive end Sergio Kindle at No. 43. Kindle tragically fell down a flight of stairs and suffered a major head injury before his first training camp. He played in just three games over two seasons with the Ravens before he was released.
Baltimore also received third- and fourth-round picks from Denver, which they used to select tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta.
Dickson had 44 catches for 111 catches for 1,178 yards and seven touchdowns in four seasons in Baltimore. Pitta had 224 catches for 2,098 yards and 13 touchdowns in six seasons with the Ravens.
Pitta was a key member of the 2012 Ravens team that won the Super Bowl. He had three touchdowns in four playoff games that postseason, including one in the Super Bowl. Pitta's career ended prematurely in 2017 after suffering his third hip dislocation in four years.
Malaki Starks, Mike Green Are Both Early Picks for Defensive Rookie of the Year
ESPN asked its panel of analysts to predict who will win Defensive Rookie of the Year, and first-round safety Malaki Starks and second-round edge rusher Mike Green received votes.
"Starks landed in an excellent spot to play alongside Kyle Hamilton and be put in positions that mesh with his skill set, which includes strong instincts, ball skills and vision to play center field," Field Yates wrote.
Like Starks, Green "landed in a great spot with the Ravens," Eric Moody said.
"He can be an immediate starter there," Moody wrote. "Green led the FBS with 17 sacks last season. His talent was shown in viral reps against new Commanders tackle Josh Conerly Jr. at the Senior Bowl."
On a side note, Starks and Hamilton were named one of the rookie-veteran pairings to get excited about by Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema.
"Starks now pairs with Hamilton, an extremely versatile player who earned PFF grades above 88.0 in all three defensive categories in 2024: run defense (89.2), pass rush (88.1) and coverage (88.4)," Sikkema wrote. "Starks' 2024 grades weren't career highs, but he showcased good versatility, playing more than 900 defensive snaps — 218 in the box, 280 in the slot and 408 as a free safety. Starks and Hamilton together give the Ravens a lot of flexibility on the back end."
Tyler Loop's College Coach, Kicking Trainer Believe He Can Handle Pressure of High Expectations
As the first kicker drafted in Ravens history and the presumed successor to seven-time Pro Bowler Justin Tucker, Tyler Loop will be under a microscope in his rookie season.
Two people who have worked closely with Loop told The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer that he has the makeup to succeed in the NFL.
"The young man was clutch," said Danny Gonzales, who was the University of Arizona's special teams coordinator in Loop's senior season. "He's the kind of guy that wants that pressure. He wants that opportunity. It's never, 'Let's go score a touchdown.' It's always: He wants it to come down to him. And he has ultimate confidence in his ability, which is well deserved."
Gonzales said he often reminded Arizona Head Coach Brent Brennan of Loop's range when the team crossed midfield last season.
"He can routinely hit field goals from 70 yards like [they're] nothing," Gonzales said. "I would get on the headset and tell [Brennan], 'Hey, man, you've got the opportunity to kick this if we want it' — which just sounds silly. But Tyler had that much of a leg that we always had that confidence."
Jamie Kohl, a specialist trainer who has worked with some of the top kickers in college football and the NFL, said Loop, who has attended Kohl's camps since he was a high school sophomore, "has as much leg talent as anyone we've had."
Kohl added that talent alone does not guarantee success in the NFL, but he believes Loop is prepared to make the most of his opportunity.
"It's going to be showing up every day and just being a consistent player, where the head coach, the special teams coach, his teammates, everybody believes in him," Kohl said. "And I do think he's welcoming that challenge."
Ravens Land in Tier 2 in Running Back Room Rankings
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan ranked every teams' running back room by tiers, and his placement of the Ravens will likely raise some eyebrows.
Tier 1, which Sullivan dubbed "Dynamic Duos," consisted of the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Ravens landed in Tier 2, where Sullivan slotted the top quarterback-running back duos.
Within the tier, the Ravens' duo of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry was No. 2 behind the Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley combination.
"Already, it seems like we've gone too long without bringing up the team that actually led the NFL in rushing yards last season in the Baltimore Ravens," Sullivan wrote. "Derrick Henry had long been a target of the Ravens, and they were finally able to sign him as a free agent last offseason. His pairing with Lamar Jackson gave Baltimore an unfair duo on the ground with Henry – who rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns – proving the power, and Jackson – who is widely considered the greatest rushing QB of all time – bursting at the seams with explosive rushes. They helped the Ravens average 5.76 yards per rush last season, which is the most in NFL history."
One could argue that Sullivan's tiered system is flawed. Looking strictly at running back rooms, there's a case for the Ravens being second to none.
In addition to Henry, who was second in the league in rushing and tied for first in rushing touchdowns last season, the Ravens' room includes the underrated Justice Hill (611 yards from scrimmage, four touchdowns in 2024) and Keaton Mitchell, who led all running backs in yards per carry in 2023 before suffering a season-ending torn ACL. Mitchell is expected to be back at full strength this season.
