2019 NFL Draft: Full two-round mock for all 32 teams, Super Bowl edition
By Peter Panacy
Let’s go out on a bit of a limb here and suggest that, if the Patriots wind up winning Super Bowl LIII, veteran tight end Rob Gronkowski finally retires.
He’s made overtures about it already, and the thought of him calling it quits isn’t anything new.
New England has a few needs heading into the offseason, primarily on the defensive side of the ball. There are some key free agents, such as defenders Trey Flowers and Jason McCourty, who either need to be re-signed or replaced.
That said, the Pats would be wise to extend quarterback Tom Brady’s career by providing him yet another bona fide impact weapon. With Gronk leaving the picture, that would open up the door for New England to grab the best tight end in this year’s NFL Draft, Iowa’s Noah Fant.
Fant looks to be the next coming of the 49ers’ own, George Kittle, who broke Gronkowski’s single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end this year. Yet Fant has the collegiate production, while Kittle’s time at Iowa wasn’t quite as spectacular.
Either way, an up-and-coming impact playmaker like Fant would make Gronk’s retirement bearable for New England.