<
        >

          NFL Nation

          Patriots scouring draft for TE to develop behind Rob Gronkowski

          play
          Gronk would rather talk dirt biking than football (0:38)

          Rob Gronkowski dodges questions about his football future while saying he can "vroom vroom really good" at a Supercross event. (0:38)

          • Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff WriterApr 24, 2018, 09:00 AM
            Close
              Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the New England Patriots. Reiss has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. You can follow Reiss on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
            Follow on X

          FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- What might the New England Patriots be looking for at the tight end position in the 2018 NFL draft?

          Need rating: Fourth

          Current personnel: Rob Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen, Jacob Hollister, Will Tye, Troy Niklas

          What's missing? Clarity on Gronkowski's future. The All-Pro talent is signed through the 2019 season, but after saying at Super Bowl LII that he would weigh his future, he has yet to officially say he'll play in 2018. The expectation is that he will play.

          2018 draft class primer: As has been the case in recent years, there aren't many true combination tight ends coming out of college who are equally as effective as blockers as they are pass-catchers. This year's class doesn't have a sure-fire first-round pick.

          Six who fit for the Patriots: Mark Andrews (Oklahoma), Will Dissly (Washington), Dallas Goedert (South Dakota State), Hayden Hurst (South Carolina), Dalton Schultz (Stanford), Ian Thomas (Indiana).

          Key stat: Gronkowski's regular-season playing time totals (percentage of offensive snaps) over the past four seasons: 73.4, 84.2, 31.5 and 79.3. He finished the 2017 regular season with a team-high 69 receptions.

          My take: Even if Gronkowski returns in 2018, as many expect he will, the Patriots know his time with the team is closer to the end than the beginning, as his contract expires after the 2019 season. So grooming his potential replacement is high on the needs list, but whether that player is in the 2018 draft remains to be seen. Hurst is viewed as a rare, true combination tight end but he's already 24 years old, which makes him older than most rookies. If Bill Belichick ultimately trades out of the first round and accumulates an extra second-round pick in the process, that's where a possible tight end selection could ultimately come if Hurst or Goedert are still available. Meanwhile, on the current roster, No. 2 option Dwayne Allen is scheduled to earn a base salary of $4.5 million, which the Patriots are currently comfortable carrying on their salary cap. Allen's blocking was strong in 2017, but he didn't make a mark as a pass-catcher (10 receptions, 86 yards, one TD in 2017 regular season). While Gronkowski has stayed away from the voluntary offseason, Allen has been present.