Rob Gronkowski was one of the best tight ends to ever play the game of football, and now that he is gone the Patriots haven't been the same. Before he retired, the Patriots had a dynasty that wasn't just built around Tom Brady, but around the best tight end in the league, big Gronk. He was a big receiving target for Tom Brady, getting away from his defender, getting himself open, and being able to go up and grab the ball. He was also special because he was willing to do the dirty work and block. A lot of tight ends don't want to block, but Gronk loved blocking because he was a big and physical football player. Overall, he was a valuable player brought a certain energy or "beast mode" mentality that helped the Patriots be the team that they were. Last year, Gronk decided to call it quits and retire from the NFL after 9 seasons. This affected the team more than I thought it would because they seemed to not be able to run or pass the ball as well. They got 2 new tight ends and it still wasn't enough to even get the Patriots to the championship game let alone the Superbowl. A new tight end from the draft could be the solution to this void left by Gronk, and I found 2 candidates that I believe can fill his shoes.
2 Tight Ends the Patriots that may fill the void
Cole Kmet-Notre Dame
I always appreciated Rob Gronkowski not just because he was a big receiving target, but because he was physical in the run game. He was one of those tight ends that didn't mind doing the dirty work and blocking for a run play and even some pass plays pass blocking against some of the best pass rushers in the league. If you want someone that has that same physicality, then Cole Kmet is your guy. Standing at 6 foot 4 and weighing 250 pounds, he's a big and physical football player who can be a two way tight end. He's good in the run game because he's physical and strong as well as in the pass game. He isn't as athletic as Gronk, but he has a big catching radius to make up for it. The Patriots have always preferred two way tight ends and Kmet is someone that could fill bring a lot of the elements that Gronk had.
Adam Trautman-Dayton
Although being from a smaller school, Adam Trautman is another tight end I believe fits that description. Trautman is different because he started out as a big high school quarterback, then switched to tight end which was a good choice on his part. His experience at quarterback allowed him to understand what a quarterback likes in a tight and built his game around that. Gronk had a special way of manipulating his defender when running routes and Trautman possess the same gift creating separation from his defender to make himself an easy open target for his quarterback. I believe the Patriots could use more receiving targets that can get open for Brady or whoever is under center for the Patriots next year. Trautman is also a big dude, so he can also be a big blocker in the run game, not as well a Kmet though. He is definitely someone that could fill in the void left by Gronk.